Report of the Miller Center Commission on the Presidency and Science Advising

The commission, consisting of nine highly placed public officials, scientists, educators, science advisers and science writers, looked at science advising as a presidential question, rather than one of science policy. The core proposition of this report is that the president needs a strong system of science advising which includes a skilled chief science adviser assisted by well-qualified staff and with ready access to nongovernmental sources of advice and knowledge. Furthermore, the commission recommends that a new president consider a spectrum of possible roles for this very flexible staff position and select the roles that best satisfy his needs rather than accept a particular historical model of science advice. A major responsibility of a science adviser is to give the president access to the expertise he needs from the science and engineering community inside and outside government. Co-published with the Miller Center of Public Affairs.