Obama Tech Adviser To Field Public QuestionsObama Tech Adviser To Field Public Questions

In another move by the Obama administration to engage the public in discussions about science and technology, the President's science adviser is now available to answer questions -- either policy-oriented or personal -- submitted via e-mail or Twitter. People who want to ask Office of Science and Technology Policy director John Holdren questions about science and technology can do so via a feature called "Ask the President's Science Advisor" on the OSTP Web site, according to a White House blog post.

People can either send an e-mail to Holdren at [email protected] or send a short question to @whitehouseostp with hashtag #AskDrH via Twitter, according to the post.

Questions need not be limited to "textbook" type inquiries or those merely about policy, according to the post, which said the feature is meant to be both light-hearted and thought provoking.

"Now is your chance to ask America's scientist-in-chief for his personal take on anything with an arguably scientific or technological bent: why some wines tickle his fancy more than others (and what are the chemicals that explain those preferences) or what subjects in school left him cold," according to the post. "We want you to have fun with this and, frankly, ask some of the tough questions about Dr. Holdren that the staff here at OSTP would like to know the answers to but, well, hasn't quite gotten around to asking."

Holdren will choose one question per week from those submitted and answer it in a short blog post every Friday. The article will include the name of the person who submitted it and his or her affiliation, if applicable.

Holdren's job since last March has been to advise President Obama on policy matters that involve science and technology.

He holds advanced degrees in aerospace engineering and theoretical plasma physics from MIT and Stanford and is known for his work on energy technology and policy, global climate change, and nuclear arms control and nonproliferation.