WASHINGTON—White House science adviser William Graham has formed a new committee to shape administration policy in the life sciences.

The 24-member coordinating committee will be chaired by Beverly Berger, assistant director for life sciences in the Office of Science and Technology Policy. It will consist of representatives from nine Cabinet-level departments and nine federal agencies, including several with the duty to regulate rather than finance research in the life sciences.

The committee will exist alongside the three-year-old Biotechnology Science Coordinating Committee, created to resolve the differing views within the federal government on regulating biotechnology. BSCC has a new chairman, NIH Director James Wyngaarden. He replaces David Kingsbury, NSF assistant director for biological, behavioral and social sciences, who was forced out in October by Graham. NSF’s slot on the committee has been filled by Deputy Director John Moore.

“Our scope is very broad,” Berger said about her committee’s charter. “We plan...

Interested in reading more?

Become a Member of

Receive full access to digital editions of The Scientist, as well as TS Digest, feature stories, more than 35 years of archives, and much more!