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Sci on the Fly
April 6, 2026
Surviving and Thriving during the AAAS STPF Executive Branch Finalist Week
Congratulations on making it to finalist week! Finalist week can be very busy and hectic, particularly as you request and navigate interviews with host offices you are interested in. My goal with this post is not to overwhelm you, but to offer several strategies for starting finalist week off on the...
Sci on the Fly
February 12, 2024
Trust the Scientists (All of Them): AI Impacts everyone and everyone should impact AI policy
The booming world of artificial intelligence (AI) is brimming with possibilities, but its ethical and societal implications raise complex questions of transparency, ethics and accountability. As we navigate this uncharted territory, who should steer the ship...
Sci on the Fly
July 19, 2023
Five Takeaways from Hosting a Webinar on Geothermal Technologies
When an opportunity arose to moderate the quarterly webinar for the Department of Energy's Geothermal Technologies Office (GTO), I took it up enthusiastically. Since joining the office as a AAAS S&T Policy Fellow, I had attended two engaging webinars and knew...
Sci on the Fly
July 7, 2023
STPF at Comic Cons: Bridging the gap between science and fiction
Do androids dream of electric sheep? When it comes to STEM enterprises, are mega-billionaires more Tony Stark or Lex Luthor? Are genetically engineered humans an inevitability? These are just some of the questions that the STEAM (science, technology...
Sci on the Fly
July 3, 2023
Using STPF Professional Development Funds: Part 2, Fellow Experiences
The ability to spend thousands of dollars on professional development over the course of a year is a major attraction of the AAAS S&T Policy Fellowship (STPF) experience. In this second part of a two-part blog series, see how fellows have spent this...
Sci on the Fly
May 15, 2023
Centering the Role of Scientists in Policy to End the Black Maternal Health Crisis
"Education Conditioned Me to Think That Things Are OK The Way They Are” - Remarks from Dr. Lucinda Canty’s Opening Keynote for the Black Maternal Health Conference, April 2023. Health disparities in the US directly impacting Black, Indigenous, People of Color...
Sci on the Fly
March 24, 2023
Using STPF Professional Development Funds: Part 1, General Strategies
As a holistic professional development experience, the AAAS Science & Technology Fellowship (STPF) program is more than just a window into federal policymaking processes. In addition to an annual stipend, fellows receive travel and training funds to use toward...
Sci on the Fly
March 22, 2023
STPF Fellows Shape Scientific Integrity Policy
Scientific integrity is fundamental to evidence-informed decision making and ensuring public trust in government science. To bolster scientific integrity, which includes safeguarding against inappropriate influence and political interference in the conduct...
Sci on the Fly
March 10, 2023
Diversifying Graduate Student Enrollment: What We Know and What We’re Learning
An invitation to be a part of a search committee for a university senior administrator had a profound impact on my view of academia and whether there would ever be a place for me and people who look like me in senior administrative roles. The Search Committee...
Sci on the Fly
February 6, 2023
COP27: Reflections from a AAAS Science & Technology Policy Fellow
I have a clear memory of the first class that I took on climate change as a college freshman, where I excitedly learned about the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and the annual Conference of the Parties (COP) at which nations...
Sci on the Fly
November 2, 2022
I Do Science Policy. What Does That Even Mean?
I took a AAAS Science & Technology Policy Fellowship to get a taste of science policy. I expected surprises, but I thought I had a decent sense of what “science policy” would consist of: some mix of “science for policy” where STEM experts contribute their...
