The White House is rumored to have chosen one of two top deputies to science adviser John Marburger as part of a reorganization of his office. Richard Russell, a longtime congressional aide who has been serving as staff director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy since last spring, will become OSTP's head of technology, Washington insiders say. Russell, who earned a bachelor's degree in biology from Yale University in 1988, worked for the Republican-led House Science Committee from 1996 to 2000. He is closely linked to efforts to kill the Department of Commerce's Advanced Technology Program, which funnels R&D funds to tech companies.
Russell may be part of a slimmed-down senior staff split between science and technology. Sources say that White House planners may eliminate two existing senior posts, overseeing the environment and national security-international affairs.
