There’s a ripple of excitement in the science and technical community. Imagine – an experienced scientist and successful administrator with a breadth of knowledge at the helm of the Department of Energy. Given the role DOE is going to play in the next few years, the selection of Steven Chu comes at a critical time. Since 2004, he has been the director of the Lawrence Berkeley National Lab where where was a strong support of research on alternative energies and understood the links to global warming. Here is a revealing video featuring Chu. I find it especially heartening that he understands standards, regulations and the difference between lobbyists are allowed to muck up engineering challenges:

Update: More good info, videos and links on Chu here and here.

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