President's Council of Advisors on Science and Technology Oral History Project: Science History Institute

This oral history collection contains ten oral history interviews of former members of the President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology (PCAST). It is a federal advisory committee of preeminent scientists and engineers who are appointed by, and serve the President directly. 

Analyzing these interviews can directly inform us about the overall and national scale science policy at different times during the 20th Century postwar/Cold War United States. Some questions to note:

• What events--international and national--provoked transitions in science policy?
• How was the relationship between science and state envisioned?
• What models of science policy and governance were considered relevant?
• What ideas about science education were advanced--when and why?