Conflict of Interest Disclosure

Disclosure of Conflict of Interest: Dr. Christine Wiedinmyer

In accordance with Section 15 of the Federal Advisory Committee Act, the "Academy shall make its best efforts to ensure that no individual appointed to serve on [a] committee has a conflict of interest that is relevant to the functions to be performed, unless such conflict is promptly and publicly disclosed and the Academy determines that the conflict is unavoidable." A conflict of interest refers to an interest, ordinarily financial, of an individual that could be directly affected by the work of the committee. As specified in the Academy's policy and procedures (http://www.nationalacademies.org/coi/index.html), an objective determination is made for each provisionally appointed committee member whether or not a conflict of interest exists given the facts of the individual's financial and other interests and the task being undertaken by the committee. A determination of a conflict of interest for an individual is not an assessment of that individual's actual behavior or character or ability to act objectively despite the conflicting interest.

We have concluded that for the committee to accomplish the tasks for which it was established its membership must include among others, members who have current knowledge of the range of modes used by the National Science Foundation to support the atmospheric sciences, including small research centers, mission-oriented research programs, and Federally Funded Research and Development Centers (FFRDC). NSF supports one FFRDC in the atmospheric sciences, the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR), which supports a significant portion of research in the discipline. Because NCAR is a large and evolving entity, committee members are needed who have an up-to-date and comprehensive understanding of its past and future directions.

To meet the need for this expertise and experience, Dr. Christine Wiedinmyer is proposed for appointment to the committee even though we have concluded that she has a conflict of interest because she is employed as a staff scientist at NCAR.

As stated in her biographical summary, Dr. Wiedinmyer brings to the committee first-hand knowledge of how NCAR is currently transforming to embrace a more interdisciplinary approach to atmospheric sciences, and she has considerable experience in evaluating ways in which climate, technology, and policy impact air quality. This unique expertise is critical to the committee’s ability to fulfill its tasks related to determining priority areas of research for advancing the basic science of atmospheric chemistry considering the need for a balance in research modes and approaches. We believe that Dr. Wiedinmyer can serve effectively as a member of the committee, taking into account the composition of the committee, the work to be performed, and the procedures to be followed in completing the work.

After an extensive search, we have been unable to find another individual with the equivalent institutional experience and technical expertise as Dr. Wiedinmyer who does not have a similar conflict of interest. Therefore, we have concluded that this conflict is unavoidable.