Buried in this week’s address by President-elect Obama, was the announcement of not one, not two, but three co-chairs of the President’s Council of Advisers on Science and Technology (PCAST).  Joining Dr. Holdren – the science adviser appointment, as co-chairs of PCAST will be Dr. Harold Varmus, former Director of the National Institutes of Health, and Dr. Eric Lander, a genomic scientists with the Whitehead Institute at MIT.  These selections are noted breaks from the past two administrations, which selected industry representatives to co-chair PCAST with the OSTP Director.

Their marching orders would mark a bit of a departure for PCAST.  From the address:

“Together, [Holdren, Varmus, and Lander] will work to remake PCAST into a vigorous external advisory council that will shape my thinking on the scientific aspects of my policy priorities.”

Should this hold true, it would be a good idea to pay more attention to the meetings and members of PCAST.  The current roster is available online.