The Fellowships aim to:• Educate scientists and engineers on the intricacies of

federal policymaking

• Provide scientific and technical knowledge to support development of well-informed policies

• Foster positive exchange between scientists and policymakers

• Empower scientists and engineers to engage in policy-relevant research and other activities that addresses challenges facing society

• Increase the involvement and visibility of scientists and engineers in the public policy realm

• Create more policy-savvy scientists and engineers

Policy for Science

1

Science for Policy

2

What is Science Policy?

Develop and determine STEM education and R&D funding priorities and directions; establish guidelines and regulations on practice and conduct of science.

Inform and enhance the development, decisionmaking, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of policies and resulting programs and regulations.

Policy for Science

• Funding directions and levels

• Transformative research

• Human/Animal subjects

• Stem cell research

• Pipeline of researchers

• Visas for foreign scientists

Science for Policy

• Climate change adaptation

and mitigation

• Clean energy efficiency

• Neuroethics implications

• Stem cell research

• Health Care Reform

• Marine fisheries catch quotas

2011-2012 AAAS Fellows

Five Fellowship Areas

• Congressional

• Roger Revelle Fellowship in Global Stewardship

• Diplomacy, Security & Development

• Health, Education & Human Services

• Energy, Environment & Agriculture

Congressional

2 placements (via AAAS)

Anticipated placement opportunities: • Offices of members of Congress • Congressional committees

Additional Congressional Fellowships are available through more than 30 scientific and engineering society partners

Go to http://fellowships.aaas.org and click on “Society Partners”

Roger Revelle Fellowship in Global Stewardship

1 Placement

Anticipated placement opportunities:• Federal agencies • Congressional offices or committees• Environmental or sustainability oriented non-profit organizations in

Washington, DC

This fellowship is open only to applicants with three years of post-degree professional experience (or six years of post-degree

experience for applicants with an MS in engineering)

Diplomacy, Security & Development

25-40 placements

Anticipated placement opportunities: • US Agency for International Development • Department of Defense • Department of Homeland Security • Department of State• NIH Fogarty International Center • USDA Foreign Agricultural Service

Health, Education, & Human Services

25-40 placements

Anticipated placement opportunities:

• Department of Health & Human Services• Department of Veterans Affairs• National Institutes of Health• National Science Foundation • USDA Food Safety Inspection Service

Energy, Environment & Agriculture

25-40 placements

Anticipated placement opportunities:

• Department of Energy• Environmental Protection Agency • National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration • National Science Foundation• U.S. Department of Agriculture (including Forest Service)• Department of Interior

Qualifications:• Hold a doctoral-level degree (PhD, MD, DVM, DSc) in any

scientific or engineering discipline » All degree requirements must be completed by 12/5/2011» Individuals with a master’s degree in engineering & three years

of post-degree professional experience also may apply

• Show a commitment to apply your scientific or technical expertise to serve society

• Exhibit good communication skills, especially to non-scientific audiences

• Demonstrate problem-solving ability, initiative, leadership qualities, and flexibility

• Hold U.S. citizenship

Benefits to Host Office:• Area experts to assist with office projects

• Knowledge base of current happenings in academia

• Increased network of professional contacts – academic & AAAS

Benefits to AAAS Fellow:• Exploration of government

• Ability to choose best match

• Opportunity to build relationships and learn from government peers

Fellowship Benefits• Stipend/Salary $74,000 – 97,000 depending upon experience or previous salary

• Health Insurance: Reimbursement for Fellow and family coverage

• Relocation Reimbursement: Up to $4,000 if relocation is more than 50 miles from Washington

• Travel/Training Allowance: Up to $4,000 with prior approval of fellowship supervisor

• Professional Development: Intensive orientation in September and year-long program

• Alumni Network:

More than 2,500 current and former Fellows working in DC and around the world

2011-2012 Class255 Year-long Fellows

The largest class in AAAS Fellowships history!

220 Executive Branch Fellows

207 selected & administered by AAAS13 selected & administered by partner scientific and engineering societies

35 Congressional Fellows

2 selected & sponsored by AAAS33 selected & sponsored by partner societies

180 First-year Fellows

75 Second-year Executive Branch Fellows

9 Short-term Executive Branch extensions (2-6 months)

An array of Sectors

» Academic institutions » Nongovernmental

organizations» Intergovernmental entities» Private industry» Government labs» Independent consultants

2011-12 Fellows Represent

A Broad range of disciplines

» Behavioral/Social » Biological» Engineering/Computational» Geosciences» Health/Medical» Physical

Previous Experience of 2011-12 Fellows

Years since earning Ph.D.» <1 year: 12%» 1-5 years: 59%» 5-10 years: 17%» 10+ years: 12%

Female Male

2011-12 Gender Breakdown Yearlong Fellows (N=255)

65% 35%

STEM Doctoral Degrees 2005

Female 44.6%

Male 55.4%Source: NSF 2009 Report to Congress

“How selective are the fellowships?” 2011-12 Selection Statistics

Program Applications Interviews Finalists

Congressional 71 10 2

DSD 189 96 74

EEA 155 96 70

HEHS 228 72 49

Candidate Data: • Areas of scientific specialty

(key words)

• Areas of policy interest

• Brief bio (200 words max)

Candidate Statement: • Reasons for applying for a

AAAS Fellowship

• Summary of background & expertise

• Areas of Interest

• Career Goals

• 1,000 words max

Curriculum Vitae: • Education, expertise, achievements,

honors & publications

• 2,000 words max

Extracurricular activities: • Brief examples of activities beyond

the lab or classroom

• 500 words max

References: • Three recommendation letters are

required

May apply for two AAAS fellowship areasApplication Materials

• Online Applications Due: December 5, 2011

• Notification of Interview: February 2012

• Interviews: Early March 2012

• Host offices notify AAAS: Mid-March, 2012

• Notification of Finalists: Mid-March 2012

• Finalist Placement Week: April 2012

• Placement Offers: May – June 2012

• Finalize host arrangements: August 2012

• Fellowships Begin: September 1, 2012

• Fellowships End: August 31, 2013

Timeline

NMFS

Kiki Jenkins (2007-09)

Erin Seney (2010-11)

Ariana Sutton-Grier (2010-12)

Jennifer Howard (2011-2012)

NOS

Brandon Sitzmann (2010-12)

OAR

Eric Toman (2007-08)

Christine Jessup (2009-10)

Laura Petes (2009-11)

Jen Boehme (2010-11)

Melissa Kenney (2010-12)

UNSEC

Gabrielle Dreyfus (2009-11)

Colin Quinn (2011-2012)

Previous and Current Placements of AAAS Fellows at NOAA

Melissa A. Kenney – Linking Climate Science with the Social SciencesPh.D., Water Quality Modeling and Decision Analysis, Duke University, 2007Ongoing Activities:

• Indicator Framework for the National Climate Assessment (NCA)» Lead expert on developing a national indicators framework for the NCA, to develop

national high level indicators that communicate climate change and variability impacts on ecological, physical, and societal systems

• NOAA & Western Governor’s Association (WGA) Memorandum of Understanding» Technical assistance to develop a transboundary regional climate consortium for the

development, coordination, and delivery of decision-relevant climate information in the Columbia River basin

• NOAA-NSF SBE Collaboration Interagency Work group» Facilitate collaborations between NOAA funded Regional Integrated Science and

Assessment (RISA) centers and NSF SBE funded Decision-making Under Uncertainty (DMUU) centers

Ariana Sutton-Grier – Ecosystem Services and Environmental MarketsPh.D., Ecology, Duke University, 2008Ongoing Activities:

• Providing expertise incorporating ecosystem service valuation into NOAA activities» Office representative to the Chesapeake Bay Environmental Markets Team

• Co-Chairing the NOAA Coastal Blue Carbon Team: A pilot project for implementing an Ecosystem Service Framework at NOAA

» Working to help NOAA determine how to engage in domestic and international blue carbon science and policy opportunities

» Developing an interagency community interested in coastal blue carbon

• Planning Committee Member for the NOAA Ecosystem Science Workshop and White Paper Writing Team

Brandon Sitzmann – Linking Science to OperationsPh.D., Animal Science, University of Maryland, 2007Ongoing Activities:

• Chief of Staff to Dr. Paul Sandifer, Chief Science Advisor at the National Ocean Service (NOS) and Senior Science Advisor to the NOAA Administrator

• NOS-wide Science Activity Coordination and Tracking» Research Council - Science Advisory Board - Council of Research Fellows

OSTP Subcommittee on Ocean Science and Technology - NOS Energy Team Small Business Innovation Research Program - Coastal Blue Carbon Team Interagency Biodiversity Team - NOAA Sentinel Site Program Line Office Transition Managers - High Performance Computing Committee

• Interagency Cross-Cutting Group on Climate Change and Human Health» NOAA representative and Chair of Data Integration workstream» Online metadata catalog to identify and characterize existing and emerging federal

datasets related to human health and global environmental change

Jennifer Howard – Linking climate science to the management, and conservation of living marine resources Ph.D., Reproductive Physiology, Texas A&M University, 2008 Ongoing Activities:

• 2013 National Climate Assessment Oceans and Marine Resources Technical Input Report

» Serve as co-lead to the Technical Input team by coordinating team activities and the development of the technical input for the marine chapter

» Contribute to the writing and editing of the technical input report

• Interagency Working Group on Ocean Acidification (IWG-OA)» Assist in incorporating comments from interagency and public review » Coordinate efforts with nongovernment scientists on ocean acidification

• Vulnerability Assessment Work Group» Assist in the development of draft methodology for assessing the vulnerability of

fish stocks with input from regional scientists and fishery managers » Research current knowledge and identify potential approaches

Colin Quinn – Strengthening SciencePh.D., Plant Ecology, Colorado State University, 2010Ongoing Activities:

• NOAA’s Scientific Integrity Policy » Work to implement NOAA’s Scientific Integrity Policy, which was released on

December 7, 2011.

• CENRS Integration of Science and Technology Sustainability Task Force» Map science and technology sustainability activities across NOAA and coordinate

sustainability efforts with other federal partners. » Create a systems framework to incorporate sustainability activities into operation

for federal agencies.

• NSF-Sponsored Sustainability Symposium» Work with a National Academies Steering Committee and interagency partners to

plan NSF-Sponsored Sustainability Symposium that will be held May 16-18, 2012 in Washington, D.C.

Post-fellowship Opportunities(year after fellowship)

Remain in public policy: 40-50%» Pursue a second fellowship year» Hired into FT post at host agency or office» Work for another federal agency, Congress or CRS» Pursue policy posts at local, state, regional, international levels» Take a position at a professional society, think tank, nonprofit in

policy/government relations

Return to work in the same sector: 20-25%» Return to previous position (sabbatical)» Obtain new position in the same field/sector

Do something completely different: 20-25% » Move into a position in a new sector » Start a new academic degree program

NOAA mentors, supervisor and references:

• Dr. Claudia Nierenberg, 301-734-1245, claudia.nierenberg@noaa.gov

• Dr. Paul Sandifer, 843-762-8814, paul.sandifer@noaa.gov

• Dr. Russell Callender, 301-713-3020, russell.callender@noaa.gov

• Dr. Kenric Osgood, 301-427-8163, kenric.osgood@noaa.gov

• Dr. Nancy Beller-Simms, 301-734-1205, nancy.beller-simms@noaa.gov

• Dr. Brian Pawlak, 301-427-8621, brian.t.pawlak@noaa.gov

Online Applications Due: 12/5/2011

Apply at http://fellowships.aaas.org

Questions? 202-326-6700 or fellowships@aaas.org

Questions? Kira Mock at 202-326-6612 or kmock@aaas.org

Back-up Slides

1973-74 Congressional Fellows – the first class

2010-11 Discipline Categories Yearlong Fellows (n=210)

36%

13%10%9%

18%

14%

12%

44%15%

17%7%

4% 1% < 1 year

1-3 years

4-5 years

6-10 years

11-20 years

21-30 years

31+ years

Years Since Qualifying Degree 2010-11 Yearlong Fellows (n=210)

Age Range of All 2010-11 Fellows

Fellows’ Contributions• International Coalitions:

Consulted with non-governmental and research organizations in Mexico and Belize to organize a planning workshop for a bi-national coastal management coalition.

• Disaster Relief: Served as task force deputy to organize the U.S. response to the Japanese tsunami recovery effort and launch long-range policy discussions on an early warning system.

• Scientific Capacity/Nonproliferation: As special advisor to the Coalition Provisional Authority, participated in program to direct Iraqi weapons scientists into new careers.

Horacio Murillo, 2005-06 AAAS Congressional Fellow

Fellows’ Contributions• Science Outreach:

Organized a congressional press conference to urge insurance companies to provide coverage for colorectal cancer screening among people over 50 years old.

• Agency Infrastructure: Oversaw a multi-million dollar software program to develop a computer security system for DoD computer networks nationwide.

• Education Reform:

Evaluated testing mandates at the primary and secondary levels to determine ultimate direction for federal spending in education.

Allison Smith, 2004-06 DSD Fellow at the U.S. Department of Homeland Security