Systems Whizzard

Science and Engineering Virtual Town Hall Meetings

The "Virtual Town Hall Meetings" proposed for this fall are an opportunity for President George W. Bush and Senator John F. Kerry to interact with scientists and engineers working in industry, national laboratories, and universities across the United States. The meetings would consist of separate events during which each candidate would deliver remarks setting forth a vision for science and technology in the 21st Century. In fitting with our high-tech age, the remarks would be Webcast live to tens of thousands of scientists and engineers throughout the country. A short question and answer period via the Internet would follow. This flexible format would allow each campaign to choose a time and location convenient for its candidate.

Letters of invitation proposing the Webcasts were signed by Craig Barrett, CEO of Intel Corporation, Alan Leshner, CEO of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, and Norman Augustine, retired chairman and CEO of Lockheed Martin Corporation, and were sent to the campaigns on August 16, 2004. The proposed events have been endorsed by 50 sponsoring organizations representing a major fraction of the roughly 3.5 million members of the science and engineering communities in the U.S.

posted by Charlie @ 11:45 PM