Dr. Gordon McBean elected president of International Council for Science

Dr. Gordon McBean, director of policy for the Institute for Catastrophic Loss Reduction (ICLR), was elected president of the International Council for Science (ICSU) during the council’s annual general assembly in Rome, Italy on Sept. 30.
Under the organization’s rules, McBean will become a member of ICSU’s executive board immediately but will not serve as president until the next general assembly in 2014.
The ICSU is based in Paris and is a non-governmental organization with a global membership of national scientific bodies (representing 141 countries) and International Scientific Unions. Its mission is to strengthen international science for the benefit of society.
McBean’s research interests are in atmospheric and climate sciences, ranging in scope from the natural sciences to the policies of governments and people’s responses to them, an ICLR release says.
“Gordon’s affiliation with our institute makes me confident that he will be an outstanding spokesman for the world’s scientific community,” said Paul Kovacs, executive director of ICLR. “It has perhaps never been more important to ensure a solid scientific foundation for societal actions to address current global challenges.”