Candidate for INL directorship nominated to science board

President Bush has nominated Dan Arvizu to the National Science Board. Arvizu is a former executive of CH2M Hill and is now the University’s Executive Director for Energy Technologies and candidate for director of the proposed Idaho National Laboratory. The National Science Board oversees the activities of and establishes the policies for the National Science Foundation, and provides advice to the president and Congress on policy issues relative to science and engineering. Now the Senate must approve Arvizu’s appointment and that of seven other nominees. If approved, the nominees will serve six-year terms on the 24-member board.

Arvizu is leading the team that is bidding to operate Idaho National Laboratory. As of Feb. 1, 2005, INL will combine the research and development components of Argonne National Laboratory-West and the Idaho National Engineering and Environmental Laboratory to become the nation’s preeminent nuclear energy research laboratory.

President Randel said Arvizu’s nomination to the National Science Board is “a great honor” for the University. “The interactions that will result from the close working relationship that Dan will have with the nation’s scientific leaders will be a valuable asset to the Idaho National Laboratory, should the University be selected for its management and operation,” Randel said.

Said Arvizu, “I am excited and humbled by this nomination, and honored by the confidence the president has shown in giving me the opportunity to serve him and the nation in this prestigious capacity. I’ve always appreciated the role of science and technology in meeting the challenges our nation faces.

“This appointment offers me the chance to help shape the direction of national science policy at a time of both great opportunity and great need. Two of the biggest challenges are science education and energy, which have been and will continue to be my focus.”

Arvizu most recently served as chief technology officer for CH2M Hill Companies Ltd., a global engineering and project management firm. Previously he spent 21 years at Sandia National Laboratories in Albuquerque, N.M., where he directed Sandia Centers for Advanced Energy Technology, Materials and Process Sciences, and Technology Commercialization.

Arvizu holds an M.S. and a Ph.D. in mechanical engineering from Stanford University and a B.S. in mechanical engineering from New Mexico State University. He was a member of the Technical Advisory Committee of the G-8 Task Force on Renewable Energy, serves on the Department of Energy’s National Coal Council, and recently chaired a congressionally chartered blue ribbon panel on the future of the technical work force.

He currently serves on the board of directors of the Hispanic Engineer National Achievement Award Corporation.