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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 3, 2020
Cultivating the Policymaker Within
We’ve all been there: with some time between when you start to think about applying to the AAAS Science & Technology Policy Fellowship (STPF) and when you actually apply, and you may have wondered, “How can I prepare myself now to be successful as a fellow?”...
Sci on the Fly
February 24, 2020
The Promise and Peril of AI in Women's Health
This post was originally posted at the Society for Women's Health Research, a national nonprofit dedicated to improving women’s health through science, policy, and education. Depending on who you ask, artificial intelligence (AI) is either a miracle worker...
Sci on the Fly
April 8, 2020
Serving as an STPF Fellow in the Era of COVID-19
Introduction The AAAS Science & Technology Policy Fellowship (STPF) program allows scientists and engineers from all over the nation to come to Washington DC to both learn about, and make an impact on, policy in the federal government. Science policy is...
Sci on the Fly
April 20, 2020
Lights, Camera, Action! Tips for Video Interviews
AAAS Science & Technology Policy Finalist Interview Week has officially begun! Typically, this week would be full of in-person interviews, trying to figure out the Metro, and falling into bed at 9 pm because you are mentally wiped. However, these are not...
Sci on the Fly
April 22, 2020
Science, writing, and sharing in the age of pandemic: Write. Often. Better. Together.
By Kristina Quynn and STPF alumna Gillian Bowser Q: What do a literary critic and a pollinator biologist have in common? A: We both write for a living. Writing is so ever-present and so foundational to research that it is easy to overlook or dismiss its...
Sci on the Fly
May 4, 2020
Testing for COVID-19: A visit to a pop-up testing center
Dry cough, headaches, body aches, a stabbing pain along my ribs, and chills. In mid-March, as stay-at-home orders were first being implemented due to SARS CoV-2, a slew of symptoms hit me like mid-sized sedan - not bad enough to wipe me out, but just to leave...
Sci on the Fly
July 13, 2020
Enough already: It's time to stop giving intelligent assistants female names and voices
For several years now, I’ve been railing against the increasing number of intelligent assistants that have female names and voices — Siri, Alexa, Cortana. Even Bank of America has jumped on the bandwagon with their assistant, Erika. Only Google is a welcome...
Sci on the Fly
July 20, 2020
A Local Community Needed a Scientist. A Dynamic Fellow Duo Answered the Call.
A Fresh AAAS STPF Candidate: Dr. Erin McDuffie (@atmosph_erin). Erin: Rewind to late April, Finalist Interview Week for the AAAS Science and Technology Policy Fellowship (STPF). It was Monday afternoon and my first virtual interview had just ended with staff...
Sci on the Fly
September 9, 2020
What They Won’t Tell You About Working in Government: Advice to New Fellows From an Alum
The final stage before one fully steps into the AAAS Science & Technology Policy Fellowship (STPF) is an intense two-week orientation where incoming fellows receive a crash course in science policy. Traditionally, it is one of the only times when STPF fellows...
Sci on the Fly
October 3, 2020
Pathways to Climate Justice – A Roadmap to Confront Race, Equity, and Justice for Addressing Climate Change
Authors: Andrew Fang-1, Nicole Scharko-1, Crystal Upperman-2 1 AAAS Science & Technology Policy Fellow 2 Senior Scientist, Aclima The following summarizes a panel discussion addressing climate change, health, and environmental justice during the AAAS Science &...
