May-June 2025 | Fellowship Focus

At startup GeoOptics, Alex (2006-07 fellow, U.S. House of Representatives) had the opportunity to help bring nanosatellite into use in operational weather forecasting. Now, GeoOptics is working toward harnessing the power of small satellites and network [interactions] to create inexpensive 3D maps of the Earth's surface to measure water, biomass and other crucial environmental variables. “Being a Fellow was a phase-change event in my life, broadening and deepening my understanding of the world of government and how it worked, and enabling me to build my career at the intersection of space technology and Earth science,” he says. 

A 2001-02 STPF fellow at the U.S. House of Representatives, Ana previously worked with the Committee on Natural Resources. She returned to the House this year to support Ranking Member Rep. Jared Huffman and lead the Committee's Democratic staff in overseeing the work of the Dept. of the Interior and NOAA. "It’s good to be 'home,' especially in such challenging times for environmental policy and protections," she says. “AAAS STPF was a magic key unlocking the door to a career in policy that I didn’t know existed when I finished my graduate degree.”