Adriana Bankston is an advocate for scientific research and innovation at the federal level. For close to a decade, Adriana has worked to nurture U.S. competitiveness in science and technology through a number of roles with universities, non-profits and scientific societies. As Principal Legislative Analyst with University of California (UC) Federal Governmental Relations, she advocated for the university’s research priorities with Congress, the Administration and federal agencies. While at UC, she developed a STEM pipeline amendment on postdoctoral researchers which was included in the CHIPS and Science Act. At the Federation of American Scientists, Adriana continued to advance policy entrepreneurship through Day One Project research to make the work of policymakers more impactful and help realize the potential of landmark legislation for innovation and U.S. competitiveness. Adriana earned her Ph.D. in Biochemistry, Cell and Developmental Biology from Emory University.

Dr. Mark Feuer DiTusa received his Ph.D. in Physics from the University of Chicago, where he studied the properties of plastic semiconductors to improve their electronic performance. Mark was a Christine Mirzayan fellow working for the Gulf Research Program's Board on Gulf Education and Engagement, and was most recently Chemistry & Engineering News's producer for their podcast Stereo Chemistry. He relishes being in interdisciplinary roles and situations that require the synthesis of multiple knowledge bases, whether between sciences or between science and another discipline. As someone who grew up in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, and attended Louisiana State University, he has seen firsthand how the energy industry impacts and shapes communities. He also believes strongly that science is for everyone, and that communicating and educating about science is critical to an informed citizenry. He hopes to utilize his wide breadth of scientific, communications, and policy knowledge to work improving the lives of Americans, particularly in clean technology, environmental justice, and scientific education.