Science policy


Mike Olliver

Expanding Professional Development Opportunities for Scientists Beyond the Lab

Lida Beninson, Senior Program Officer, and Tess Doezema, Doctoral Candidate in the Human and Social Dimensions of Science and Technology, , UCS

December 4, 2019 11:02 AM EDT

We live in an age where the world and its population seem fragile and vulnerable, yet at the same time, full of radical potential. Millions of people face life-threatening opioid addiction, the global climate continues to worsen, voting infrastructure has been compromised, and the security of our health and financial data has been undermined. On the plus side, alternative energy technologies are becoming cheaper and more widely adopted, our understanding of gravitational waves is unfolding, quantum computing is becoming a reality, and nearly every country in the world has agreed to achieve a set of ambitious sustainability goals. A thread connecting all of these issues, good and bad, is science policy. Read more >

Mike Olliver
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Giving a Voice to Students & Early Career Researchers in International Science Policy and Diplomacy in the Post-Truth Era

Gary W. Kerr and JC Mauduit, , UCS

September 11, 2019 11:36 AM EDT

Science increasingly underpins many of the global challenges the world is facing today. In turn, the ever-changing global political landscape also has a significant influence on our ability to pursue science needed to tackle these challenges. And in our interconnected 21st century, domestic policies set in one country inevitably have global repercussions.  Read more >

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Women Scientists Form a Policy Advocacy Network in the Mid-Atlantic

JoEllen McBride, PhD; Kristen Gulino, Ph.D. candidate; Jewel Tomasula, PhD candidate, , UCS

August 29, 2019 9:54 AM EDT

Many societal challenges are rooted in structural inefficiencies and inequities that require government solutions informed by science. Women experience burden and harm from inaction in distinct ways, but our voices are underrepresented in both the advocacy and policy processes. We believe women scientists have untapped potential to leverage their expertise and perspective and to connect with their elected officials to lead discussions about policies that impact their communities. Read more >

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Science and Democracy Fellows with trainers and fellows from COMPASS.

Managing the Work: Reflections on a year of science advocacy from the 2018 UCS Science and Democracy Fellows (Part 2)

Shri Verrill, Lindsay Wancour, Adrienne Keller, Tim Rafalaski, Emily Piontek, , UCS

May 29, 2019 9:50 AM EDT

Learning to be an effective science advocate isn’t just about developing advocacy skills and learning about science policy. It’s also learning about how you make advocacy a sustainable part of your life’s work. It’s easy to get frustrated, burnt out, and want to give up when change isn’t coming fast enough. Strategies for approaching advocacy in a thoughtful way can lead to more long-term gains and also make it feel less overwhelming. Read more >

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Drops, Ripples, Waves: Reflections on a year of science advocacy from the 2018 UCS Science and Democracy Fellows (Part 1)

Shri Verrill, Lindsay Wancour, Adrienne Keller, Tim Rafalaski, Emily Piontek, , UCS

May 28, 2019 2:17 PM EDT

In response to the increasing political attacks on science, in 2018 the Union of Concerned Scientists launched the Science and Democracy Fellowship to support scientists in becoming local advocacy leaders. We were selected for the inaugural six-month program to mobilize our local communities, in partnership with UCS, in confronting federal attacks on science.

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