Scientists will join diplomats and policy experts on the campus of the University of Southern California on Friday, February 5, to discuss the role of their profession in international relations--past, present and future.

“In scientific endeavors, as in no other field, nations set aside political differences and collaborate to advance the best interests of their citizens,” said Philip Seib, director of the USC Center on Public Diplomacy (CPD) at the Annenberg School, which hosts the “Science Diplomacy and the Prevention of Conflict“ conference.

Even during the tense times of the Cold War, Seib noted, American scientists worked with their Soviet counterparts, motivated by the belief that they could help states work out their differences. Currently, discussions between scientists provide a backchannel between unfriendly states, such as North Korea and the United States, or India and China.

Globally, a wide range of international issues, including climate change, drought, communicable diseases and energy development have complex technical elements that demand high-level international scientific collaboration.

The conference will feature presentations on a wide range of such interactions, according to Yannis C. Yortsos, dean of the USC Viterbi School of Engineering, who will chair a panel on “Science, Development, and Security.”

The United States Institute of Peace and its Center of Innovation for Science, Technology and Peacebuilding is co-sponsoring the conference.

Vaughan Turekian, director of the Center for Science Diplomacy, American Association for the Advancement of Science, will be the keynote speaker at a dinner on February 4.

In addition, the Partnership for a Secure America will discuss their science diplomacy initiative and next steps as they launch an expanded effort to engage the legislative and executive branches in better integration of science into diplomacy.

The conference is open to the public, but seating is limited. Please rsvp to cpdevent@usc.edu.

For the complete conference agenda and list of speakers, please click here.

About the USC Center on Public Diplomacy

The USC Center on Public Diplomacy was established in 2003 as a partnership between the Annenberg School for Communication & Journalism and the School of International Relations at the University of Southern California. The Center is a joint research, analysis and professional training organization dedicated to furthering the study and practice of global public diplomacy. USC received the 2007 Benjamin Franklin Award for Public Diplomacy in recognition of the university's teaching, training and research in public diplomacy. The award was one of four inaugural awards from the U.S. State Department.