A University faculty member recently joined a prestigious committee with the United States Department of Commerce, addressing national security matters in research technology.After former Chancellor Sean O’Keefe nominated Brooks Keel, vice chancellor for research and economic development, to serve on the committee, Keel sent his credentials to the federal government. He is serving on the Emerging Technology and Research Advisory Committee to provide advice to the secretary of commerce, Carlos M. Gutierrez.Keel was selected Sept. 1 and began serving actively Oct. 1.”The purpose of this committee is to provide advice about many different kinds of technologies to the Secretary of Commerce on issues of things that might fall into the hands of our [the United States’] enemies that can be used against us,” Keel said.These technologies are coming from universities and industries from across the country and are on a list that includes software, radar, guidance systems and explosive devices that the Department of Commerce considers export controlled, according to Keel.”Anytime you give data of these sorts of technologies to a foreign national, it is an export and the Department of Commerce has control over that,” Keel said.Invention and innovation are essential to the nation’s economic growth, but the potential for misuse of the nation’s discoveries and new technology is ever-present, he said.Keel holds a Ph.D. in reproductive endocrinology from the Medical College of Georgia 1982 and completed three years of postdoctoral training at the University of Texas Health Science Center and the University of South Dakota School of Medicine.Keel said his position as vice chancellor prepared him for his position on the committee.”A faculty member may submit a grant or a contract that has export control language in it, so I’m already fairly accustomed to this,” Keel said.Keel’s research for the Department of Commerce may benefit LSU.”We will be providing advice as a way to make it easier for our faculty to be able to do research openly and train students the way we want to train them while still protecting the country,” Keel said.Martin said University officials are proud to have a nationally recognized person like Kneel on the committee.”Such accomplishments keep our university in the national spotlight and drive us forward in our mission to meet the goals of our Flagship Agenda,” he said. With a smile on his face, Keel said he is “deeply honored” to be serving on the committee.”It’s an opportunity, in some small way, to serve the country by providing advice to the Department of Commerce in a very important area, especially in the wake of Sept. 11,” Keel said. —-Contact Aimee Effler at [email protected]