Advancing science, encouraging dental research

Dr. Lynne Opperman, Regents professor and interim head of biomedical sciences at Texas A&M College of Dentistry, has begun a three-year term as a council delegate for the American Association for the Advancement of Science. As a member of the council, which sets the policies for the association, Opperman will convene with delegates during AAAS annual meetings to review the association’s programs, meetings and publications and propose actions to its board of directors.

“In this role I can help to guide policy decisions in science and engineering related to STEM — science, technology, engineering and math — career paths and training,” says Opperman, who also is director of technology development at the College of Dentistry. There will be ample opportunity to explore ways to engage the public with science, she adds.

As part of her role in the Dentistry and Oral Health Sciences section, she’ll offer input on issues ranging from AAAS fellow nominations to meeting symposia topics.

“These symposia are meant to be a way of engaging the public in science by attracting media interest,” Opperman says. “They are an opportunity to expose the many STEM students who attend the annual AAAS meeting to opportunities in dental and oral health sciences research.”