56th MUMEI-JUKU(21/05/2021)
【Science, Technology, and Innovation in the Foreign Policy of the US and Japan】
The 56th Mumei Juku (Online) 2021/05/21
Speaker: Dr. William E. Colglazier, Editor-in-Chief, Science & Diplomacy , Senior Scholar of AAAS,
Ex. Science Advisor, U.S. Secretary of State, and the UN Secretary-General’s 10-member Committee of Advisors on Science and Technology (co-chair), ex. CEO of U.S. National Research Council
He presented topics on SDGs, Japan-US cooperation in the digital age, science and diplomacy, and human resource development for the next generation, and received good comments/questions from industry, government, and academia (79 participants from Japan and abroad).
(Excerpt a quote from Dr. Takeda, Head of Mumeijuku)
I would like to introduce Dr. Colglazier. He is my longtime friend and mentor.
I first met Bill 30 years ago at the University of Tennessee, we call it UT. U.S. senator Lamar Alexander is also my mentor. And that time, he was the president of UT, and has asked me to join UT as his advisor. He was the executive director of center of excellent energy and environment. COE was jointly operated by UT and Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), Tennessee Valley Authorities (TVA) It was 30 years ago and very a few institutes had inter-disciplinary study. And also, very few institutes were carried by multi organizations. I was so much impressed about what Bill was doing.
At the same time, Bill left UT to join National academies as an executive director. Actually, he had been 17 years as a director of National research council. That is an operating of academy and 17 years is a long time to educate a few hundred researchers were under him. And after that he joined U.S. secretary of the states, as a chief scientist, under Kelly and Clinton later. Then he joined 10 members of UN, that work secretary-general to advice STI, Science Technology Innovation and SDGs. Now he is a chief editor of Science and Diplomacy.
As you recognize, Bill has been a big advocator of SDGs and also, he devotes science and diplomacy. Thanks to him, now many governments have science diplomacy position.
As many of you know, 4 years ago, many Japanese worried when Mr. Trump was elected and there was a rumor that he may not weigh the science and may not respect friendly nations, or allied nations. So, Bill and I had a discussion at his office, we do need not only plan A but also plan B. And also, we do agree that the U.S. and Japan, have two coined new mechanism that shows democracy system be better than China system, particularly for STI for SDGs or innovation. Now 4 years later, Mr. Biden is elected as President of United States.
Fortunately, last month, our prime minister Suga has visited as the first foreign dignity and they had a good discussion and carried on many STI for SDGs or other issues including economic security.
It’s time for you to talk on. What a way that the U.S. and Japan work together on STI for SDGs including encouraging U.N.? It’s time to show us some of your idea how U.S. and Japan could work on many items not only climate change, 5G and other digital issues including supply chain. And we do need to work together for coming generation. Bill, could you show us some of your thoughts?
