Hey look at this, I’m actually keeping this website updated! This post is about a big project I’ve become involved with in the last few months that I am very excited about. I am part of a team at the University of Arizona that was awarded a grant from the National Conference of State Legislatures to try and establish a science and technology policy fellowship here in the state of Arizona. The purpose of these fellowships is to take Ph.D. scientists and engineers and place them in government to serve as policy advisors. These fellows can use their scientific and research skills to help answer technical questions about policy, coordinate with experts in the field, and serve as a translator between the policy and academic worlds.
Fellowships like this have been established all over the country and with great success so far. At the federal level, the AAAS Science and Technology Policy Fellowship has been highly effective for many decades. On the state level, there are similar programs in states as different as California and Missouri, or New Jersey and Idaho, just to name a few. Following these successes, we are now trying to stand up a similar program in the state of Arizona.
Our primary challenge will be navigating Arizona’s complex political landscape. Most existing programs are in states with single party control, either Republican or Democratic. Arizona is among one of the first swing states where a fellowship is trying to be established. These challenges are leading us to think about new and innovative models for how the fellowship could run.
Moving forward, we will be focused on presenting our ideas to the state legislature and figuring out which model has the highest chance of success here in the state. In the meantime we are working hard to network with current and former lawmakers, industry and academic leaders throughout the state, and potential donors to fund the fellows.
If you want to know more, you can read our press releases about the project. I also plan on posting updates here when there is big news to share!