Armenian-American Dr. Vaughan Turekian, formerly the Chief International Officer (CIO) at the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), was named the fifth Science and Technology Adviser to the Secretary of State on Sept. 8.
In his new role, Turekian will “advise the Secretary of State and the Under Secretary for Economic Growth, Energy, and the Environment on international environment, science, technology, and health matters affecting the foreign policy of the United States,” according to the U.S. State Department.
In his capacity as former CIO for AAAS, Turekian was responsible for developing and implementing strategy for increasing AAAS’s global profile and presence, building and maintaining relationships with members of the international science community, and working with the foreign policy community to increase the role of science as an instrument of “soft diplomacy.”
Between June 2003 and March 2006, Turekian served as Special Assistant to the Under Secretary for Global Affairs at the U.S. Department of State. He earned his Ph.D. at the University of Virginia in environmental sciences in 2000. There Dr. Turekian defended his dissertation entitled, “The Application of Chemical and Isotopic Tracers to Characterize Aerosol Sources and Processing in Polluted Marine Air.”
Turekian was also a visiting professor at the American University of Armenia in 2000, where he taught graduate courses in environmental sciences and atmospheric chemistry
Vaughan Turekian, who has over 14 years of policy experience, is the son of the late pioneering Yale geochemist Karl Turekian, who passed away in March 2013. Karl Turekian joined the Yale faculty in 1956 as its first geochemist. According to Karl’s 2005 autobiography, his parents were survivors of the Armenian Genocide.
*** I am so proud of them, father & son, amazing Armenians.!!!
Karl Turekian was a much beloved professor at Yale. Among other things, he told classes each year that while it was hard enough to find an Armenian wife, it was harder still to find a Protestant Armenian woman to marry. He reported that he was glad he held out until he met and married the lady who became Vaughan’s mom.
Here’s some interesting info on his father Karl Turekian.
http://news.yale.edu/2013/03/19/memoriam-karl-turekian
In the area of environment hopefully he can influence in terms of support and funding for reforestation in Armenia and clean up of mining tailings, which are disasters waiting to happen.
Investing and supporting science in general in Armenia would also be very good. There are many dedicated scientists in Armenia. The Cosmic Ray Division and the astronomers at the Byurakan observatory for example.
http://www.armradio.am/en/2015/09/11/armenian-physicist-wins-ico-galileo-galilei-award/
One of Armenia’s future is breainpower in terms of tech and science.
Most people would acknowledge, “Something is fundamentally wrong in the world.” We have been missing a key part of the puzzle for hundreds of years. Perhaps we have a few piece of the puzzle facing upside down or in the wrong places. To acknowledge and explore our blind spots takes a special integrity.
You can actually see in the face of Dr. Vaughan Turekian the kind of honesty and integrity that can only come from deeply examining one’s history as well as one’s hopes. Armenian people should lead the area to a heighten understanding of both. And, perhaps Dr. Turekian can lead in key ways. He knows the weaknesses and strengths of big bang cosmology. Its inherent nihilism must be addressed by a more simple, inclusive model. http://81018.com might offer some insights.