2011 Fellows in the News
Apps4Africa Addresses Climate Change
Jeff Fox, 2010-12 S&T Policy Fellow at the State Department, is working on the Apps4Africa contest, a creative way for local innovators in African countries to address climate change adaptation. Dr. Fox helps coordinate communication between State Department offices and the private partners implementing the program, and evaluates the effectiveness of the program through participant surveys and data collected from social and online media. The Center for American Progress recognized the Apps4Africa program for being "innovative and collaborative." Read more here.
DJ Patil Contributes to Two Part NPR Series
DJ Patil, 2004-05 Fellow at the Defense Threat Reduction Agency, took part in a two part NPR series exploring "big data." Read more on NPR's website.
John Ohab Writes Guest Blog on Groundwire.org
John Ohab, 2007-08 S&T Policy Fellow at National Institutes of Health and 2008-09 Fellow at the U.S. Department of Defense, wrote a guest blog called "3 Ways to Make Science Less Sciency." Read more on groundwire.org.
Francesca Grifo is a Guest on NPR
Francesca Grifo, 1990-91 S&T Policy Fellow at US Agency for International Development, was a guest on NPR on November 30, 2011 where she discussed federal agency scientific integrity policies. Dr. Grifo is currently working at the Union of Concerned Scientists. Read more on NPR's website.
Sabrina McCormick Appears on the NBC Nightly News
Sabrina McCormick, 2009-11 S&T Policy Fellow at the Environmental Protection Agency, is one of the lead authors on an Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change report, "Managing the Risks of Extreme Events and Disasters to Advance Climate Change Adaptation (SREX)". Sabrina was profiled in several online articles including Time Magazine and New York Times DOT Earth blog, additionally she also wrote a blog post on Culture of Science blog, and she appeared on the NBC Nightly News.
Former Fellow at NSF Helped Communicate Scientific Stories to the Public
Nicole Garbarini, 2009-11 S&T Policy Fellow at the National Science Foundation in the HEHS Program, was featured in a LiveScience article about her work at the NSF's Office of Legislative and Public Affairs. During her fellowship Nicole helped with the agency's science communications outreach effort. Read more about her work at NSF.
Two Congressional Fellows Sponsored by ACS Featured in Weekly Publication C&EN
Two 2010-11 Congressional Science and Engineering Fellows sponsored by ACS, Jasmine Dimitriou, office of Senator Richard Durbin and Dale Orth, office of Senator John Rockefeller, were featured in Chemical & Engineering News (C&EN). In the article "From the Lab to Capital Hill," Jasmine and Dale discuss what was like to be a chemist in a Congressional office and what they learned during their year working on the Hill. Read the complete article on C&EN's website.
Umesh Thakkar Awarded the Science Prize and Published Article in Science Magazine
Umesh Thakkar, 2009-11 S&T Policy Fellow at the Department of Veterans Affairs in the HEHS Program, is a winner of Science magazine's Science Prize for Online Resources in Education (SPORE) award. An article on his project titled, "Facilitating Scientific Investigations and Training Data Scientists" was published in the 29 July 2011 issue of Science magazine. Both the article in Science magazine and the AAAS news release are available online.
New State Department Advisor Started Career in Policy as a AAAS Congressional Fellow
E. William Colglazier, 1976-1977 Congressional Science & Engineering Fellow ® in the office of Congressman George Brown, was named the State Department's new adviser on science and technology. Read more about his new position on ScienceInsider's website.
Fellow Awarded the Franklin Award from the State Department
Jana Hall, 2010-11 S&T Policy Fellow in the DSD Program at the Department of State, was awarded the Franklin Award in July, 2011. The award recognizes Dr. Hall's efforts for "furthering U.S. efforts to promote peace-building through the use of science diplomacy at the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization." The award was presented by Esther Brimmer, Assistant Secretary, Bureau of International Organization Affairs.
Ilya Fischoff Urges Scientists to Call their Representative and be a Voice for Science
Ilya Fischoff, 2010-11 Congressional Science & Engineering Fellow® sponsored by the American Geophysical Union (AGU) in the office of Rep. Ed Markey (D- MA), wrote an article in a 26 July 2011 AGU publication. Dr. Fischoff wrote about his experience as a Hill employee and urges his fellow scientists to get involved by contacting their representatives. Download the article to read more.
Ed Carr Profiled in USAID's Frontlines
Ed Carr, 2010-11 S&T Policy Fellow in the DSD Program at the US Agency for International Development (USAID), was profiled in the June/July 2011 issue of USAID's Frontlines. Read about his efforts to examine the relationship between science and society on the USAID website.
Gaby Dreyfus Accepted a New Position at Department of Energy
Gaby Dreyfus, 2009-11 S&T Policy Fellow in the EEA Program at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, accepted a position at the Department of Energy. Gaby started her job in July, 2011 where she'll work in the Office of Policy and International Affairs as an Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education Climate Change Technology Policy Fellow.
Article in Acoustics Today Describes a Fellow's Two Years as a Scientist in Washington, DC
Jeff Fox, 2010-11 S&T Policy Fellow at the State Department and 2009-10 Congressional Science & Engineering Fellow® sponsored by AIP, published an article in the April 2011 issue of Acoustics Today. This was a special edition featuring scientists working in public policy and service from the Acoustical Society of America, one of the co-sponsors of Jeff's Congressional Fellowship. To read the article, please visit the Acoustics Today website or download a full PDF of the article.
Former Fellow Publishes First-Author Manuscript in Science
Alice Luo Clayton, 2009-11 S&T Policy Fellow at NIH, published her first-author manuscript from her post-doctoral work in the 15 July 2011 issue of Science magazine. The article entitled, "Linking Context with Reward: A Functional Circuit from Hippocampal CA3 to Ventral Tegmental Area" is available online on the Science magazine's website. Click here to read the report.
University Lists Fellow to Their "Points of Pride" List
A 2010-11 AAAS Science & Technology Policy Fellow in the DSD Program at the US Department of State,James Head, was added to the Texas Christian University Political Science Department's "Points of Pride" list. Visit the list on TCU's website.
Fellow Awarded Certificate of Appreciation from the Department of Energy
Marina Sofos, 2010-11 S&T Policy Fellow at the Department of Energy (DOE), is the recipient of the DOE Certificate of Appreciation from the director of ARPA-E (Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy) and senior advisor to the secretary Arun Majumdar, for organizing the Second Annual U.S.-China Energy Efficiency Forum in May, 2011.
John Ohab Wins Award for a Project He Worked on During His Fellowship
On June 10, 2011, John Ohab, 2008-09 S&T Policy Fellow in the NDGS program at the Department of Defense (DoD), was recognized at the White House Champions of Change event where he received the Data.gov "Leader of the Apps" Award. He received the award for the work he did while he was a Fellow at DoD for the largest number of apps published and accessed on Data.gov. Learn more on John Ohab's website.
Fellow Earns a State Department Honor Award
Rod Schoonover, 2009-11 S&T Policy Fellow in the DSD program at the State Department, is the recipient of the Superior Honor Award from the U.S. Department of State for his "work integrating science, technology, and environment into intelligence, within and outside the State Department."
Former Congressional Fellow Promoted to New Associate Dean at George Washington University
Daniel Ullman, 2006-07 Congressional Science & Engineering Fellow ® sponsored by AMS in the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Science and Technology, was promoted to the new Columbian College associate dean for undergraduate studies at George Washington University. Read more about Dr. Ullman's new position on the GWU website.
Fellow Attends the Final Endeavor Space Shuttle Launch
Larry Meinert, 2010-11 Congressional Science & Engineering Fellow ® sponsored by GSA, attended the final Endeavor space shuttle launch on May 16, 2011 at the Kennedy Space Center at Cape Canaveral, Florida. At the time, Larry was a Fellow in the office of Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords (AZ-08). He is currently a Fellow in the office of Senator Chris Coons (D-DE). View a photo of Larry and one of the Endeavor's Astronauts.
Former Fellows Work Towards Protecting Endangered Species Act
Two former S&T Policy Fellows at the Environmental Protection Agency, Sylvia Fallon, 2004-05 andJoseph Roman, 2005-06, work towards protecting Endangered Species Act that is currently under attack in Congress. Read more in the AAAS website.
Fellow Takes Time Out of a UNESCO Meeting for a Photo During a Tour of Duty in Paris
In May of 2011, Jana Hall, a 2010-11 S&T Policy Fellow in the DSD Program at the State Department (fourth from right, behind woman in pink), posed with U.S. Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton and U.S. Ambassador to UNESCO, David Killion. Jana is currently doing a tour of duty working at the Paris UNESCO office.View a photo of Jana Hall in Paris.
Former Fellows Receive Awards from the National Association for Government Communicators
John Ohab, 2007-2009 S&T Policy Fellow in the HEHS Program at the National Institutes of Health, andDan Stimson, 2006-2008 S&T Policy Fellow in the HEHS Program at the National Institutes of Health, each received honors from the National Association for Government Communicators (NAGC) Blue Pencil & Gold Screen Awards. John Ohab's entry, Armed with Science, received second place in the Social Media Outreach/ Communications category, and Dan Stimson's entry, Lobe-oratorium, received second place in the Display category. The NAGC Blue Pencil & Gold Screen Awards Competition salutes superior communications efforts of government agencies and recognizes the people that create them. More than 430 entries in 38 categories were received and judged by a panel of experts. Click here to view the complete listing of award winners.
Former Fellow Rafe Sagarin receives Guggenheim Fellowship
Rafe Sagarin, 2002-2003 Congressional Science & Engineering Fellow® sponsored by GSA in the Office of Representative Hilda Solis, received a prestigious Guggenheim Fellowship. In part of his winning Guggenheim Fellowship application, he described his Natural Security Project, which he started developing during his AAAS Fellowship year. His National Security Project examines how examples of adaptation and evolution in nature can be used as a guide for improving our own security. Read the news release on the University of Arizona website.
Former Fellow Stars in His Own Show on National Geographic
Justin Grubich, 2006-2008 S&T Policy Fellow in the Diplomacy Program at the State Department, and fellow biologist John Odenkirk, are now the stars of the new National Geographic Channel show Hooked. Follow them on their journey to find the elusive Nile perch. Find out more information about the show and when it will air on the National Geographic website.
Current Fellows and Fellowships Staff Volunteered at the White House Easter Egg Hunt
AAAS S&T Policy Fellows and Fellowships staff participated with AAAS at The Science Inside You booth during the 2011 White House Easter Egg Roll. The booth had three activities for kids and families taking part in the event to teach them about food and exercise. Danielle Evers, 2010-11 S&T Policy Fellow at the Executive Office of the President, Office of Science and Technology Policy/President's Council of Advisors on Science and Technology, and Rick Kempinski, DSD Fellowships Program Manager, were both volunteers. View a photo of Danielle and Rick on the White House lawn.
Fellow Publishes Article in Science
Sarah Gallagher, 2010-11 S&T Policy Fellow in the EEA Program at the Environmental Protection Agency, published an article in the March 2011 issue of Science Magazine entitled "Ordered and Dynamic Assembly of Single Spliceosomes." Read the article on the Science website.
Current & Former Fellows Participate in the Partnership for Clean Indoor Air Forum in Peru
The biennial Partnership for Clean Indoor Air Forum gathered over 300 participants from around the world who are working with governments, businesses, nonprofits, and research organizations to improve indoor air quality, health, and mitigate climate change with cleaner cookstoves. Several current & former Fellows were also in attendance as both attendees and as panelists/discussion leaders. The current & former fellows included Ranyee Chiang, 2010-11 S&T Policy Fellow in the EEA Program at the U.S. Department of Energy; Pete DeCarlo, 2010-11 S&T Policy Fellow in the EEA Program at the Environmental Protection Agency; Jay Graham, 2008-2010 S&T Policy Fellow in the DSD Program at U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID); Yvonne Njage, 2009-10 S&T Policy Fellow in the HEHS Program at the National Institutes of Health; and Doreen Salazar, 1998-00 S&T Policy Fellow in the DSD Program at USAID.
Ranyee Chiang, Pete DeCarlo and Yvonne Njage had the opportunity to meet the First Lady of Peru, Pilar Nores de García, who also attended the conference to speak about Peru's national cookstoves program and her Sembrando Program which aims to bring clean water and improved stoves to poor households all over Peru. View a photo of the Fellows and First Lady.
Congressional Fellow Assists With STEM Education Bill
Ashley White, 2010-11 Congressional Science & Engineering Fellow® sponsored by OSA/MRS, spearheaded a new STEM Education Bill introduced on April 13, 2011 by Representative Al Franken (D-MN). Watch the video now.
Judith Weis Publishes New Book
Judith Weis, 1983-84 Congressional Science & Engineering Fellow® sponsored by the American Society of Zoologists (now the Society of Integrative and Comparative Biology) in the office of Representative David Durenberger (R-MN), published a book entitled Do Fish Sleep? in March 2011. The book is written in question and answer format and explores the habits of fish. This book is available on the Rutgers University Press website.
Representative Rush Holt (D-NJ) Beat IBM’s Super-Computer at Jeopardy
Representative Rush Holt (D-NJ) became the first human to beat the IBM super-computer, Watson at Jeopardy. During a bipartisan event on February 28, 2011, he beat out the super-computer with 8,600 points to Watson's 6,200 points. Rep. Holt was a 1982-83 Congressional Science and Engineering Fellow® sponsored by the American Physical Society in the office of Representative Robert Edgar (D-PA). Read more on The Washington Scene's website.
A Trip to Promote Science Diplomacy in Uzbekistan
Kerri-Ann Jones, assistant secretary for Oceans and International Environment and Scientific Affairs at the Department of State and 1985-86 AAAS S&T Policy Fellow at USAID, visited Uzbekistan in February, 2011 to discuss current and potential collaborations between the two countries on upcoming scientific initiatives. Her visit builds upon the current administration’s commitment to “science diplomacy,” an effort to use science to build constructive and mutual international partnerships. Read more on the Embassy's website.
Article correction: The article references that Dr. Jones received her start through a AAAS S&T Policy Fellowship in 1985. The article incorrectly states that “today more than 30 scientists and engineers enter the program every year. “ The fellowship program actually has more than 200 Fellows and about 30 of those Fellows are at the Department of State.
A $1 Million Donation Given to ASME to Endow the Fellowship Program
In February 2011, Mechanical Engineering, a publication of American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME), reported that John A. Swanson, PhD has donated a total of $1 million to support the ASME Federal Fellows program. ASME is one of thirty AAAS Congressional Science & Engineering Fellows® partner societies that provide an opportunity for scientists and engineers to contribute to the policy making process in Congress. Swanson is dedicated to the future of engineering and wants to help others in his same profession succeed and prosper. Read the complete article on their website.
Nature Magazine Publishes Article on the Importance of Science and Diplomacy
Several current and former AAAS S&T Policy Fellows were featured in the latest issue of Naturemagazine; the article described how scientists and researchers play an integral role in the federal government. Read the entire article on their website.
Article correction: The article references that “43 former fellows now work overseas for the state department” and “a further 43 work abroad for USAID.” According to program director Cynthia Robinson, the AAAS S&T Policy Fellowships doesn’t know the exact number of fellows working abroad for either the Department of State or for USAID.
The article also references that Vaughan Turekian is the chief international officer at AAAS and director of the Center for Science Diplomacy. Dr. Turekian was also a AAAS S&T Policy Fellow at the Department of State from 2002-04.
Fellow at USAID Describes the Importance of His Work
Amit Mistry, 2009-11 S&T Policy Fellow in the DSD Program at USAID, was featured on USAID's Impact Blog. Read more on the USAID website
Former Fellow Joined Scientists Without Borders
Mark Fleury, 2009-10 Congressional Science & Engineering Fellow® sponsored by the American Chemical Society (ACS) in the office of Senator Claire McCaskill (D-MO), has joined Scientists Without Borders as a project manager.
Edward Carr Publishes New Book
Edward Carr, 2010-11 S&T Policy Fellow in the DSD Program at USAID, published a book entitled Delivering Development: Globalization's Shoreline and the Road to a Sustainable Future in February 2011. The book explores topics related to development, climate change, sustainability and Africa. Visit Amazon's websiteto purchase or read more about the book.
Using Science to Influence Policy, Todd Haim Describes His Journey to Become a Fellow
Albert Einstein College of Medicine at Yeshiva University featured Todd Haim, 2009-2010 S&T Policy Fellow in the HEHS Program at the National Institutes of Health, on their website in January 2011. Read the article on their website.
Norman Lerner Reflects on His Time as a Fellow
Norman Lerner, 2009 - 2010 IEEE Executive Branch Fellow at the State Department, gave a detailed account of his time as a AAAS S&T Policy Fellow in the January issue of Today's Engineer. Read the article.