CHICAGO--In remarks to international media at the start of the 2009 AAAS Annual Meeting, AAAS President James McCarthy said he is "very optimistic" about the role of science in U.S. President Obama's administration. Obama's prompt selection of a scientific team of "extraordinary caliber" suggests that issues such as global climate change will receive renewed attention over the next four years, McCarthy noted.

"Obama not only picked the best people, they immediately said 'yes,'" McCarthy said in response to numerous questions on the new administration. Obama's scientific appointments include former AAAS Presidents John Holdren and Jane Lubchenco, who are both appearing in confirmation hearings before the U.S. Senate today.

On the 200th anniversary of the birth of U.S. President Abraham Lincoln, McCarthy discussed the parallels between Lincoln's national challenges and those awaiting President Obama in an editorial in the 13 February issue of the journal Science.