John P. Holdren (right), science advisor to President Obama and on-leave member of the Belfer Center’s board of directors, joins Chinese Minister of Science and Technology Wan Gang in the White House to sign an historic science/technology agreement.
Photo by OSTP

"Belfer Center Newsmakers"

Members of the Belfer Center community in the news

Newsletter Article, Belfer Center Newsletter, Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs, Harvard Kennedy School

Spring 2011

Ashton B. Carter, on leave from the Belfer Center Board of Directors to serve as under secretary of defense for acquisition, technology and logistics, was named one of the “Top 20 People to Watch” by ExecutiveBiz. Carter was selected for his efforts to cut billions from the Department of Defense budget over the next five years.

Katie (Bartel) Gordon, editorial assistant with the Belfer Center’s top-ranked International Security journal, was honored by the Belfer Center in December with the annual “Peggy Scannell Award for Excellence” in recognition of her “outstanding contribution to the Center and the environment in which we work.”

Maya Eichler, joint research fellow with the Belfer Center’s International Security Program and Women and Public Policy Program, was awarded the “2010 Best Dissertation of the Year Award” from the Peace and Justice Studies Association. Her dissertation is titled “Militarized Masculinity in Post-Soviet Russia: A Gendered Analysis of State and Society in the Context of the Chechen Wars.”

Ben Heineman, senior fellow at the Belfer Center, accepted the “Transparency International-USA Corporate Leadership Award” on behalf of General Electric. Heineman, former general counsel and senior vice president for law and public affairs of GE, was recognized for “contributing to GE’s anti-corruption agenda and engagement with Transparency-International USA in an effort to improve the global marketplace.”

John P. Holdren, on leave from the Belfer Center’s board of directors to serve as assistant to the president for science and technology and director of the Office of Science and Technology Policy, signed an historic extension to the U.S.-China Agreement on Cooperation in Science and Technology with China’s Minister of Science and Technology Wan Gang.  The agreement focuses on cooperation in areas such as agricultural science, high-energy physics, clean energy, and biomedical research.

Mehrangiz Kar, Iranian human rights activist and research fellow at the Belfer Center’s Dubai Initiative, was honored in December as “Activist of the Year” by the American Islamic Congress. Regarded as an inspiration for Muslim women globally, Kar said upon receiving the award, “I’m so happy and thankful for reminding me that my work had results for Iran….When we feel that we were helpful, it is the best gift to us.”

Belfer Center International Council member and co-founder of PepsiCo, Donald Kendall, was in Russia in December 2010 handling PepsiCo's acquisition of a two-third stake in Russia's leading branded food-and-beverage company, Wimm-Bill-Dann Foods. In 1959, Kendall made news by serving Pepsi to then-Premier Nikita Khrushchev, making Russia the largest national market for Pepsi outside the United States.

Matthew Kroenig, affiliate with the project on Managing the Atom and assistant professor of government at Georgetown University, was named one of the most influential people in Washington under the age of 40 by Washington Life.

Cristine Russell, a senior fellow with the Belfer Center’s Environment and Natural Resources Program, was elected an AAAS Fellow by the American Association for the Advancement of Science in December. Russell was recognized for her dedication to science communication that explores scientific risk and public policy in journalism and academia. At the Belfer Center, Russell has organized workshop series on climate change and the media and clean energy and the media.

Lawrence Summers, until recently director of the National Economic Council, has been named director of Harvard Kennedy School’s Sharmin and Bijan Mossavar-Rahmani Center for Business and Government, serving as the Frank and Denie Weil director. A member of the Belfer Center’s board of directors, Summers will focus his teaching and research on the implications of changes in the global economy for public policy.

Paul Volcker, former chairman of the President’s Economic Recovery Advisory Board, received the “Transparency International-USA Integrity Award” for his commitment to the principles of integrity and independence in his 30 years of distinguished public service. TI said Volcker “is a force in preserving principles in government, private, and international sectors.” Volcker is a member of the Belfer Center International Council.

Stephen M. Walt, Harvard Kennedy School professor and member of the Belfer Center’s board of directors, was awarded first place for the “3 Quarks Daily 2010 Politics Prize.” Judge Lewis H. Lapham said Walt’s work, "Why America is Going to Regret the Cordoba House Controversy," as a “measured, thoughtful response to the religious intolerance that surrounded the ‘mosque’ at ground zero.”

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