Alright, first up on the “Catching Up on What I’ve Been Up To Tour” takes us back to the Fall of 2021. That semester I took a fantastic course on Science Policy and Diplomacy at the University of Arizona, which really marked my start into the science policy world. The most notable aspect of the course was that we got to practice science diplomacy in action through a program called Diplomacy Lab.
Diplomacy Lab is a program run by the US State Department that aims to get students at Universities across the country to contribute directly to diplomacy issues. Universities apply to the program, and then when they have classes ready to contribute, they sign up for specific projects. When I took the class, our project focused on helping the State Department better understand how they can encourage climate sustainability in the Mekong River region of southeast Asia. We spent our semester researching specific aspects of this question, culminating in an official report and presentation to the Deputy Assistant Secretary for Multilateral Affairs in the Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs.
I myself worked in a small team that was focused on the issue of energy use. We looked into energy policy in the region, including energy sources, energy needs, energy uses, and how all of these were projected to change over the future. We then recommended policies and programs the State Department could support over the coming years that would increase long term energy stability in the region. These recommendations included things such as where to invest money and what kind of trade policies to support.
Overall, participating in Diplomacy Lab was an excellent experience. In addition to the work itself, we were able to present the results at a number of conferences, including one hosted by the State Department. You can read more about the work by viewing this conference poster/presentation or by reading this news article about our project.