OU meteorologist to be Trump’s science adviser
University of Oklahoma meteorologist Kelvin Droegemeier has been confirmed by the U.S. Senate to be President Donald Trump’s top science adviser.
The Senate used a voice vote — an expedited process for uncontroversial nominees — to approve Droegemeier on Wednesday night.
Droegemeier was nominated Aug. 1 to be director of the Office of Science and Technology Policy. Trump has worked without a formal science adviser during the first two years of his presidency.
Droegemeier was named Gov. Mary Fallin’s secretary of science and technology in March 2017. He also served for 12 years on the National Science Board under Presidents George W. Bush and Barack Obama.
In August, Droegemeier stepped down as vice president for research at the University of Oklahoma to prepare for the Senate confirmation process. Later that month, he faced a confirmation hearing in the Senate Commerce Committee, where he defended scientific freedom.
“I welcome all points of view ... science rarely provides immutable answers about anything,” Droegemeier said in response to a question about climate change.
“I think science is the loser when we tend to vilify and marginalize other voices,” he later added, “and I think we have to have everyone at the table talking about these things and let science take us where it takes us.”
Droegemeier had the support of Oklahoma’s senators throughout the confirmation process. Sen. James Lankford, an Oklahoma City Republican, said on Twitter on Thursday that “Dr. Droegemeier is a highly qualified scientist and researcher, and I am confident he will serve our nation well.”
NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine, a Tulsa Republican, also congratulated Droegemeier on Twitter, calling him a good friend. Sen. Jim Inhofe, another Tulsa Republican, said the OU professor is the right person for the job.
“The president requires the most well-qualified advisers and Dr. Droegemeier provides the experience and ability necessary to get the job done right,” Inhofe said in a statement.
An expert on extreme weather, Droegemeier has an undergraduate degree in meteorology from OU, along with a master’s degree and doctorate in atmospheric science from the University of Illinois. He will be the first meteorologist to serve as a president’s science adviser; all others have been physicists.
Between 1999 and 2001, Droegemeier wrote a daily weather column for