UNE announces Bush appointed scientist Alan Leshner as 2016 George and Barbara Bush Lecturer

The University of New England has announced that its seventh Annual George and Barbara Bush Distinguished Lecture will feature speaker Alan I. Leshner, Ph.D., chief executive officer emeritus of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) and former executive publisher of the Science family of journals. Leshner’s talk, titled “Neuroscience and Society: Progress Since the Decade of the Brain,” will take place on October 27, 2016, at 5:00 p.m. in the University of New England Harold Alfond Forum, located on the Biddeford Campus (11 Hills Beach Road). The event is free and open to the public.

In 1990, then President George H. W. Bush designated the 1990s as the “Decade of the Brain” in order to raise awareness about the benefits of brain research.  Leshner was at the forefront of the research and scholarship initiated during that period -- research that continues to this day. 

Prior to attaining his current position, Leshner operated as director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse at the National Institutes of Health. He also served as deputy director and acting director of the National Institute of Mental Health and in several roles at the National Science Foundation. Before joining the government, Leshner was a professor of psychology at Bucknell University.

Leshner is an elected fellow of many academies, including the American Academy of Arts and Sciences (AAAS) and the National Academy of Public Administration. He is a member of and served on the governing Council of the National Academy of Medicine (formerly the Institute of Medicine) of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine. He also served two terms on the National Science Board, appointed first by President Bush and then reappointed by President Obama.

Leshner received his Ph.D. and M.S. in physiological psychology from Rutgers University and earned an A.B. in psychology from Franklin and Marshall College. He has been awarded seven honorary Doctor of Science degrees.

For additional information or to arrange for special seating needs, please contact Kate Vose.