Dr. Caroline Wagner will keynote U.N. conference in Istanbul

Dr. Caroline Wagner will give the keynote address and lead a panel at the United Nations Conference "Science, Technology and Innovation: Setting priorities and implementing policies for LDCs (Least Developed Countries)," in Istanbul on 7-8 February 2011. Dr. Wagner was a member of the United Nations Millennium Development Task Force on Science, Technology, and Innovation, which laid out an agenda for LDCs going forward. Her talk will continue the themes set by the UN Task Force, and she will address the question of building science and technology capacity for innovation in LDCs.

“Helping LDCs solve local problems and build businesses with science and technology helps alleviate poverty and reduces the risk of political instability,” said Dr. Wagner, who specializes in the study of science and technology and its relationship to innovation.

The February conference is a lead-up to the United Nations conference for Least Developed Countries, held every decade. The fourth conference will be held in Istanbul in May 2011.

Dr. Wagner is the author of the 2008 book The New Invisible College: Science for Development. She has served as an analyst for the United States federal government analyzing global developments in science and technology and has consulted to the World Bank, the European Commission, the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, and the U.S. National Science Foundation and a number of governments. She can be reached at cswagner@psu.edu.