Hey All!
For the past three short months, I have been learning the world of science policy in Washington as a Christine Mirzayan Science and Technology Policy Fellow at the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Technology. The Mirzayan fellowship is geared towards introducing late stage and recent graduate students, from around the country and all disciplines, in science policy. It was a great pleasure to meet my future science policy colleagues through this fellowship!
The National Academies are a non-profit organization that produces independent reports and studies addressing some of society’s pressing issues. Mirzayan Fellows are embedded in the various committees and boards at the Academies. The boards and committees are responsible for the oversight of such Academies’ activities as consensus report writing and the convening of workshops. My fellowship was with the Policy and Global Affairs Division in the Committee on Science, Technology, and Law (CSTL).
The principal goal of the fellowship program is to introduce early career scientists to the world of science policy within the academies while emphasizing an understanding as to how the academies operate. Fellows are given opportunities to meet with fellowship alumni, the three Academies’ presidents [Drs. Victor Dzau of the National Academy of Medicine, Marcia McNutt of the National Academy of Sciences, C.D. (Dan) Mote, Jr. of the National Academy of Engineering], and other science policy veterans like Jeffery Mervis from Science magazine. Fellows learn about the many opportunities in science policy work.
As a fellow, I worked on projects on the future of voting and Dual Use Research of Concern. By being involved with these projects, I was able to witness the many stages involved in the development of Academies’ reports. I worked with and was mentored by an excellent staff – who works very hard to facilitate the work of members of the ad hoc committees responsible for writing Academies’ reports. During my fellowship, I was involved both in the beginning and final stages of the Academies’ report process. My responsibilities included conducting background research on potential committee members, preparing for committee meetings, attending and summarizing congressional hearings, and helping to edit report text. In addition to this work, I was able to attend the spring CSTL meeting in Pasadena, California, where met and chatted with lawyers, scientists, and other experts working in science and law.
In addition to my work for CSTL, the fellowship encouraged us to explore policy in Washington D.C. and the across the Academies through informational interviews and attendance at congressional hearings and Supreme Court arguments. This experience provided an excellent opportunity to network and develop professional relationships, get a taste of the dynamics of Washington, and expand my rolodex of science policy experts from all backgrounds. I had a terrific experience and would highly recommend applying the National Academies’ Mirzayan S&T Policy Fellowship! If you’re interested in applying to this program please don’t hesitate to contact me!