Page 30 - Acoustics Today Spring 2011

U.S. scientists and engineers have an obvious incentive to push for sound policies for science. And one might expect that both science for policy and policy for science should be important to every American citizen. But most of us in the scientific community can think of examples in which scien- tific viewpoints are marginalized, disparaged, or ignored in public policy debates. In addition, while it is common for government officials to have a scientific or technical back- ground in some countries, such as China,15 the same is not true in the U.S.
Thus we can identify two deficiencies in scientists’ per- sonal engagement with public policy: too few researchers have sufficient understanding of and comfort with the public policy process, and too few of those with backgrounds in sci- ence and engineering play an active role in developing public policy and communicating the importance of science to the public. The Science & Technology Policy Fellowships are designed to address these problems. These fellowships immerse PhD scientists and professional engineers in the policy arena, with the goal that the scientist either returns to a career in research with a much stronger understanding of policy, or that the scientist shifts to a career in policy or pub- lic service and brings a technical background and scientific viewpoint to a government agency or a private or nonprofit organization involved in policy.
Science & Technology Policy Fellowships
The Science & Technology Policy Fellowships started in 1973 as a partnership of five scientific and engineering soci- eties sponsoring seven Fellows serving in Congressional offices16 in what are formally known as the Congressional Science & Engineering Fellowships® (referred to as Congressional Fellows). Since that time it has grown consid- erably, as has the need for technical expertise and scientific analysis in federal policy development and implementation. AAAS now partners with nearly thirty professional scientific and engineering societies17 who support the Fellowships, and more than 2,300 Fellows have participated in the program. The 2010-2011 Science & Technology Policy Fellowship class includes 208 yearlong Fellows, 28 serving in Congress and 180 serving in 20 federal agencies, departments, and units. Many alumni from the program have gone on to serve in government agencies and institutions at all levels. Some of the more high profile alums include Rush Holt, a 1982-1983 Congressional Fellow sponsored by the American Physical Society, who serves in the House of Representatives (and spends his free time beating supercomputers at Jeopardy18); Kerri-Ann Jones, a 1985-1986 AAAS Science & Technology Policy Fellow in the executive branch at USAID (U.S. Agency for International Development), who currently serves as the Assistant Secretary for Oceans, International Environmental, and Scientific Affairs in the U.S. Department of State; and Gregory Jaczko, a 1999-2000 Congressional Fellow spon- sored by the American Institute of Physics, who is the chair- man of the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
Scientists and engineers who are interested in the AAAS Science & Technology Policy Fellowships can apply for up to two of four program areas. Three of these place Fellows in
executive branch agencies: Diplomacy, Security and Development; Health, Education and Human Services; Energy, Environment and Agriculture. The Congressional program area places Fellows in congressional offices and committees. Applicants can also apply separately for fellow- ships through AAAS’s partner societies, as long as they meet the society’s requirements. The application process is designed to help both the applicant and the review panel determine if the Fellowship will be a good fit. The first stage of the process is a written application with several essays. To be selected for an interview, the applicant must produce evi- dence of a strong scientific background. No previous experi- ence in policy or government is necessary, although the writ- ten statements must explain why the candidate’s background has prepared him or her for the specific fellowship program area, as well as what the applicant hopes to gain from the fel- lowship year. Finally, the essays must include experiences that point to an interest public service.
If selected for the next stage in the process, the candidate is invited for a short (thirty minute) interview, and receives instructions for preparing a one-page memo on a topic relat- ed to the Fellowship area. The memo is quite different from the writing style familiar to most scientists: it is very short, it must be understandable to a policy-maker who is well-edu- cated but not a subject-matter expert and it must end with a clear recommendation to take a specific action. Writing the memo and preparing for the interview can be stressful, but it is excellent preparation for work in the policy arena. A friend of mine who is a current Fellow at the State Department put it well: if you begin to enjoy the process of researching, writ- ing, and presenting a memo on a policy topic, then you are probably a good match for the fellowship. If that process makes you feel increasingly ill, then working in Congress or a federal agency would probably not be much fun for you.
AAAS notifies candidates whether they are designated as finalists within a week of their interview. The next step for the three executive branch program areas is the placement process. During placement, finalists spend a week in Washington interviewing with offices at the agencies that fall under the finalist’s fellowship area. In some ways matching with an office for placement is similar to finding an advisor in graduate school. Some Fellows know exactly where they want to go, and others are interested in a variety of different offices in several agencies. Similarly, some offices are looking for a Fellow with a particular background, such as experience in a certain region of the world, or expertise in a certain sci- entific field, while other offices are looking for someone with a broad scientific background who can contribute an analyt- ical point of view. All offices look for Fellows who can com- municate effectively. By the end of the spring, Fellows in the executive branch typically know where they will be in the Fall. Congressional Fellows go through a separate placement process that starts in mid-September.
Navigating a cultural divide
Before the Fellows head off to their respective place- ments, AAAS organizes a valuable two-week orientation period in early September. The orientation serves several
26 Acoustics Today, April 2011