Meet Alan H. McGowan
Alan H. McGowan was recognized as the Top Science and Technical Expert of 2019 by the International Association of Top Professionals. He also received a Lifetime Achievement Award from Marquis Who’s Who that same year. Currently a Lecturer at The New School, he has previously served as the chair of the Science, Technology, and Society Program (now the Interdisciplinary Science Program) and later as chair of the Environmental Studies Program. During his tenure, he introduced several innovative initiatives, including a newsletter reaching 400 leaders in global environmental studies and an internal “Friday Letter” for staff and faculty.
Alan graduated from Yale University with a degree in engineering and spent two years at American Electric Power, a public utility. He then pursued graduate studies in physics and spent a decade teaching science and mathematics at private schools, earning the Teacher Recognition Award from the American Association of Physics Teachers in 1968.
Following his teaching career, Alan served as the Scientific Administrator at the Center for the Biology of Natural Systems, an interdisciplinary environmental research and training program at Washington University in St. Louis. He later became president of the Scientists’ Institute for Public Information (SIPI), transforming it into a key bridge between the scientific and journalistic communities. SIPI’s Board Chairs included eminent figures such as Margaret Mead, Lewis Thomas, and David Baltimore.
Under his leadership, SIPI’s Media Resource Service, with Walter Cronkite as Honorary Chair, addressed up to fifty inquiries a day from journalists seeking expert sources. Another significant initiative was “TV News: The Cutting Edge,” which facilitated weekend gatherings of local and national television news directors and leading scientists, including Nobel Laureates.
Alan H. McGowan
Top Science and Technical Expert by the International Association of Top Professionals
Professional Summary
Following the closure of the Scientists’ Institute for Public Information (SIPI) due to shifts in foundation priorities, Alan H. McGowan founded and led The Gene Media Forum at the Newhouse School of Journalism, Syracuse University. This initiative facilitated communication among geneticists, ethicists, and journalists. Notable events included a significant conference in South Africa on genetically modified organisms, funded by the Rockefeller Foundation; a session on race, genes, and intelligence broadcasted on ABC News; and a session on genetics and injuries featuring Christopher Reeve.
Advisory Roles and Board Memberships
Mr. McGowan was a member of both the New York State and New York City Advisory Committees on Energy Policy. For twenty years, he contributed his expertise as a scientist member of the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority.
He has also served on numerous boards and advisory committees, including the Center for the Advancement of Health, the Organization of Tropical Studies, and the Metcalf Institute of the Oceanography School at the University of Rhode Island. Notably, he chaired the board of Student Pugwash, USA, an organization stemming from the Pugwash Conference on Science and Public Affairs, which addresses ethical issues in science and technology.
Currently, Mr. McGowan serves on the board and executive committee of the Bermuda Institute of Ocean Sciences, where he chairs the Legal and Governance Committee. He is also one of six Executive Editors of Environment magazine, published by Taylor and Francis.
Publications and Speaking Engagements
He is the author of over one hundred articles focusing on the interconnections among science, society, and technology, both in peer-reviewed journals and the popular press. They have appeared in Jewish Currents, Christian Science Monitor, PTA Magazine, Think Magazine, World Book Encyclopedia, and many others. He has presented his research on Franz Boas, ethical issues in science, and innovative courses in science at scientific and education conferences around the world, as well as seminars at Columbia and Princeton Universities and The New School.
In addition, he has written over one hundred editorials for Environment magazine over a forty-year period, including one in 1978 warning of the perils of global climate change. The Political Activism of Anthropologist Franz Boas, Citizen Scientist, is his first book. He also has a contract with Springer Nature for a second book, Life and Death in the Anthropocene, due in 2027.