The U.S. Department of State has announced its 2024 cohort of science envoys to promote American scientific interests and strengthen international partnerships. Four distinguished American scientists, Dr. Rumman Chowdhury, Dr. Stephanie Diem, Dr. Sian Proctor, and Dr. Dawn Wright, have been selected for the program, bringing expertise in diverse fields such as data science, nuclear engineering and physics, geosciences, and oceanography.
The Science Envoy program was initiated by Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in 2010 and has included a total of 30 envoys over the years. These envoys play a crucial role in informing the Department of State, other U.S government agencies and the scientific community about potential opportunities for cooperation in science and technology. The 2024 cohort has been chosen for their knowledge on key global issues including Artificial Intelligence, Fusion Energy, Civil Use of Space, and Ocean Sustainability. Additionally, the research initiated by three members of the 2023 cohort will continue to focus on topics like quantum information sciences, environmental sciences and indigenous knowledge and unregulated fishing.
As technology diplomacy becomes increasingly important to promote international collaboration and establish common scientific standards and ethics while encouraging international collaboration is becoming more critical as countries like China strive to dominate emerging technologies field such as generative AI . This has sparked conversations between State officials and allied nations about establishing global standards for AI design and deployment that would promote international teamwork especially when it comes to emerging technologies .
