A Message from the new Executive Editor for the Sci on the Fly Blog

Write it down. Write it all down.

That’s one great piece of advice my mentor gave on the first day of my fellowship, and it’s allowed me to chronicle my accomplishments and failures (or, ‘opportunities’) throughout my fellowship years, and something I like to pass on to other fellows.

I’m honored to be named the first Executive Editor for the blog side of Sci on the Fly -- a publication of the AAAS Science & Technology Policy Fellowships (STPF) and run by STPF fellows. I am accompanied by the Sci on the Fly Podcast Executive Editor Philip Ko.

In times of social distancing and isolation, it's particularly difficult to have long-form networking among STPF fellows. This blog is a great medium for current fellows to not only share snippets of their fellowship experience (the ‘what’), but to dive into the ‘why’; what led them to their placement, surprising moments of self-learning, or discovering a career pathway which didn’t exist before. It’s also a great way for alumni to detail how they transitioned to the next step of their fellowship, and beyond.

In my fellowship in the NSF Office of Legislative and Public Affairs, I help scientists communicate effectively using storytelling, aiming to capture the imagination of your audience, whether it be agency leadership, policymakers, or lay audiences. I really enjoy the public-facing aspect of the job, helping to tell the story of how NSF funding affects society in presentations, writing, and multimedia. It’s really drawn on my ‘stage presence’ experience as a singer and challenges me to become better at engaging varied stakeholders, and overall it’s been a perfect match for my interest, skills, and values.

Sci on the Fly is an amazing platform for fellows to elevate their own storytelling about coordinating a food security mission to Africa, contributing to the Green New Deal, or getting backstage at SXSW. Philip and I are actively looking for current and alumni fellows to become regular (or not) contributors for Sci on the Fly.

For current fellows, this is beneficial for your fellowship (and beyond) because it accomplishes four things:

1. Improves your written and spoken storytelling skills.
2. Gives you a publication for your CV, a tangible product which you can link in your job interviews, list on LinkedIn, and remember what you did for your year-end report.
3. Expands your fellows’ network by identifying yourselves as subject matter experts or career interests.
4. Helps potential AAAS STPF applicants get an idea of what amazing work can be done in a science policy fellowship. 

The fellowship experience is a unique, diverse experience that makes for exciting storytelling. We are really looking forward to helping you tell YOUR story!

Vince Tedjasaputra, Ph.D.
Executive Editor, Sci on the Fly
LinkedIn | Twitter: @Drvinnyted | Instagram: @Drvinnyt