AAAS has launched the Pathways to Policy Fellowship, its third immersive fellowship program, and recently welcomed its first pilot cohort. The fellowship builds on the success of the long-standing AAAS S&T Policy and Mass Media Fellowship models, which place scientists in the federal government and newsrooms around the nation respectively as a powerful way to serve society.
The Pathways to Policy Fellowship pilot recognizes the significant role that institutions outside the government play in shaping and operationalizing public policy. The new fellowship places scientists in sectors outside the federal government, including nonprofits and think tanks, with private sector industry partners to follow. PPF is a one-year placement with the option to renew for a second year.
“Science and technology keep proving critical to address so many of the challenges we face,” said Rashada Alexander, who directs these fellowships at AAAS. “We are excited to launch Pathways to Policy, in this dynamic time, as a way to continue putting scientific expertise to work across the public and private sectors.”
The PPF inaugural class and their placements include:
- Priera Panescu, a chemist and plant-based specialist, at the Foundation for Food & Agriculture Research
- Thoin Begum, an environmental epidemiologist, at the Natural Resources Defense Council
- Ari Koeppel, a planetary geoscientist, at The Planetary Society
- Cedar Riener, a professor of psychology, at the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia
- Natasha Dacic, an atmospheric scientist, at the Universities Research Association
AAAS Project Director Errol Mazursky noted the growing interest from the nonprofit and private sectors for expanding PPF next year. “We have a broad spectrum of organizations and institutions in our pilot, so when other organizations see this list, they will be able to imagine themselves becoming a partner as we continue to grow the program,” he said.
Fellow Ari Koeppel was motivated to apply for the fellowship after seeing the positive impact of space missions on everything from environmental monitoring to STEMM education. “I’m excited to apply my energy toward helping ensure that the U.S. continues to be a leader in exploring and inspiring in this way,” he said.
At NRDC, Fellow Thoin Begum will work on an initiative with a goal to “rebuild and reimagine the role of science in shaping climate policy and public trust,” she said.
The wide range of organizations participating in the PPF pilot is reflective of the broad need for science policy expertise, Alexander noted. AAAS turned to the vast network of S&T Policy Fellowship alumni to explore partners for this inaugural program.
“We have tried to be very strategic about participants’ on-ramp for this program, noting that sourcing fellows from a variety of backgrounds is a benefit,” she said. “You can come from academia, you can come from industry, you can come from the nonprofit sector. And the off-ramp for our fellows is in that wide array of places as well.”