The Answer Man
I'd like to find a way to bring some of my experiences back to the classroom to look at the worlds of policy and science and see how they intersect.
NC State professor and Jefferson Science Fellow Mohammed Zikry
Mohammed Zikry joined the NC State faculty in 1990.
By Dave Pond, Web Communication
When U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton – and before her, Condoleezza Rice – needs expert advice on climate change, clean energy and science diplomacy, she turns to North Carolina State University's Mohammed Zikry for help.
In July of 2008, Zikry, a professor in the university's Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, was selected as one of seven 2008-09 Jefferson Science Fellows by the U.S. Department of State. He began his one-year appointment in September.
"This an incredible opportunity to bring science and technology to the forefront, as far as the decisions that are made – decisions that can have a significant national and international impact," said Zikry, who has taught at NC State since 1990.
Former Secretary of State Colin Powell, who hoped to engage the American academic science, technology, and engineering communities in the formulation and implementation of U.S. foreign policy, established the program in 2003. Fellows serve one-year assignments working full time in the State Department or the U.S. Agency for International Development, then remain available to the Department as consultants after returning to their academic careers.
"Dr. Zikry has established himself as a leading figure in mechanical and aerospace engineering since he arrived at NC State nearly 20 years ago, " said Dr. Louis A. Martin-Vega, dean of the College of Engineering. "NC State has gained much from his experience, and we look forward to the future benefits that will accrue from his role as an adviser to the Secretary of State."
During his term, Zikry has found Clinton (and Rice, whom Zikry advised before the January 2009 U.S. Cabinet transition) to be very supportive of the Fellows program and open to the information he and other Fellows place before them.
"I think that's one thing that's really comes through, in regards to President Obama and Hillary Clinton, that they are really trying to focus on a number of key science and technology issues," Zikry said. "Secretary Clinton is very good listener – quick and to the point – and when she's given a briefing or briefing paper, she really gets to the bottom of it fairly quickly."
Zikry also hopes to make an impact in the advancement of scientific diplomacy during his tenure, and envisions student and faculty exchanges on a global university level, all shepherded by the State Department.
"It's a very effective way to bring people of the world together, as opposed to other avenues," he said.
A Jefferson Fellows selection comes with an extensive travel schedule that reaches beyond Washington D.C. to include high-level meetings and treaty negotiations taking place around the world. It's an opportunity that will allow Zikry to take what he's seen and bring it back to campus, offering NC State students a unique opportunity to learn from a professor who is currently "teaching" our nation's leaders.
"You want to strive to make the world a better place, even in a small way, because it could eventually have a huge impact," Zikry said. "I'd like to find a way to bring some of my experiences back to the classroom to look at the worlds of policy and science and see how they intersect.
"From an educational standpoint, I think it's been a really great experience so far."
