Tuesday's policy session
December 04, 2008
I thought I'd mention the policy session I went to on Tuesday as I'm guessing that it went under the radar of most conference attendees. The session consisted of a talk by long-time MRS lobbyist Ronald Kelley followed by a panel discussion with three former MRS Congressional Fellows. It proved very interesting as I'd never heard of the Congressional Fellows program before, and science policy isn't a topic I've ever given much thought. I don't think I'm exceptional in that regard, and I suspect that many researchers, though they'd like to see government make good decisions on scientific topics, would happily not think about it themselves. Mr. Kelley made a convincing case for why we should care, however, and urged the audience to consider it part of their responsibility as scientists to pay attention to policy and be involved. It turns out that sound scientific judgment is required in a surprising number of issues, among them energy, health care, and telecommunications, along with government funding for research and development. As we all know, most policy makers don't have a background in science, so it is crucial that they have guidance from trained scientists when making decisions on these issues.
In the second half of the session, the panel of former congressional fellows talked about their experiences in this role, both during the fellowship and in their ensuing careers in policy. Their positive opinion of the fellowship program was unanimous as they encouraged interested students to apply. MRS supports two fellows each year who are placed in a congressional office and assist in a great variety of policy making activities like wording legislation and propositions and whatever else it is that congress people do. They had all stayed in policy in one way or another, but said that most fellows returned to science, flush with new insight and valuable contacts. It actually sounds like an interesting and rewarding career, though Mr. Kelley's repeated warning of low pay was somewhat off-putting. However, the number and nature of questions from the audience suggested that several students were considering applying for the fellowship and pursuing this career path.
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