2023 in Review: Greetings from the Director
AAAS Launches STPF Rapid Response Cohort in AI to Support Policy Development in Congress
Future generations are watching
November 16: [Seen on fellow R. Anne Stetler’s feed] “So interesting to have had one foot in research and one foot in the AAAS Science & Technology Policy Fellowships at the SFN2023 conference! It has been 17 years since my first time attending SFN, and it was fun to explore new terrain. Researcher in the front, fellow in the back!”
New NIH Deputy Director for Program Coordination, Planning, and Strategic Initiatives Tara Schwetz (2012-14 NIH fellow) is charged with strategic planning and resource development to better understand NIH portfolios and to launch cross-NIH research initiatives. “I have gained an immense amount from [STPF]—from the amazing experiences and knowledge I’ve gained to the fabulous fellows I’ve recruited and worked with, to the amazing friends I’ve made.” Image: NIH
Congrats to Lizzie Hunsaker (2020-21 Legislative Branch Fellow, 2021-22 Executive Branch Fellow) who was promoted by Sen. Chris Coons to the position of legislative director! “STPF was pivotal in my transition from academia to policy.” As legislative director, Lizzie oversees the Senator's entire policy portfolio and works with the legislative team to advance the Senator’s priorities.
“My experience as a AAAS STPF at the NSF AI Research Institutes program was instrumental in providing me with policy-relevant experience related to supporting innovation in responsible AI technologies.” Leveraging that experience, Neeti Pokhriyal (2022-24 fellow at NSF) is now at RAND’s Engineering and Applied Sciences Department, where she brings her expertise in developing interpretable machine learning models for societal well-being and policy-relevant experience in understanding the biases, ethics, and transparency of these models.