Science Group Taps Congressional Ally as New Chief

U.S. Representative Rush D. Holt, a former physicist and strong supporter of federal funding of scientific research, will be the next head of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, the group announced Tuesday.

Holt, a Democrat who represents central New Jersey, is leaving Congress this year at the end of his eighth term. He will start as chief executive officer of the AAAS in February.

The group's appointment of Holt comes as tensions between the scientific community and some members of Congress have flared in recent months. Research funding advocates, for instance, have criticized the Republican-led House science committee's inquiry into specific National Science Foundation grants.