The AAAS Science & Technology Policy Fellowships (STPF) is the premier opportunity for outstanding scientists and engineers to learn first-hand about public policy while contributing valuable knowledge and analytical skills to address today’s most pressing societal challenges. STPF fosters a network of STEM leaders who understand government and policymaking. Fellows gain invaluable knowledge of and experience with processes and priorities that drive public policy as well as a holistic understanding of our nation’s scientific enterprise.
Join us on October 15 at 2 p.m. ET for the final chat in our 2020 series with fellows. Learn how fellows have been impacting science policy for 47 years. Ask a fellow anything!
View the full chat schedule here.
The AAAS S&T Policy Fellowships are open to U.S. citizens who hold doctoral level degrees in any of the following:
- Biological, Physical or Earth sciences.
- Social and Behavioral sciences.
- Computational and Information sciences.
- Mathematics and Statistics.
- Medical and Health Sciences.
- Engineering disciplines (applicants with an M.S. in engineering and three years of professional experience also qualify).
The application deadline is November 1.
CHAT PARTICIPANTS
MODERATOR
Ryan Gallasch, STPF Program Manager
Erin Soule, 2019-21 Executive Branch Fellow, Department of Defense, Defense Laboratories Office
Erin Soule, PhD is an Executive Branch AAAS Science and Technology Policy Fellow placed at the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) in the Laboratories and Personnel Office. Erin is a part of several different teams representing the different portfolio areas in the office. With the STEM team, she is part of the strategy writing team, which is in the process of re-writing the 5-year strategy for the DoD’s STEM education and outreach efforts. She also is part of an interagency working group, where she is responsible for leading the preparation of a “best practices in STEM mentoring” document. In the tech transfer (T2) arena, Erin manages the metrics collection and associated reporting activities by working with T2 professionals in the Army, Navy, Air Force, and a host of other intelligence and mission-driven agencies. Additionally, she is helping to update the overarching policy document that governs technology transfer for all of the DoD. With the infrastructure team, Erin is assisting with data collection for, and preparation of, congressionally mandated reports related to the status of the DoD’s laboratory infrastructure. Upon completion of the Fellowship in late 2021, she’d like to stay in the federal government space and work on policy development and implementation as it relates to human health, but remains open to other possibilities. Erin has a BA in Molecular Biology from Colgate University and a PhD in Pharmacology and Cancer Biology from Duke University.
Alias Smith, 2017-19 Executive Branch Fellow, National Science Foundation, Division of Molecular and Cellular Biosciences
Adam Balkcum, 2019-20 Executive Branch Fellow, Office of Science and Technology Policy and 2018-19 Executive Branch Fellow, Department of Defense, Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering