Category Archives: GSPG-hosted events

Lunchtime Chat with Bina Venkataraman of Broad/PCAST

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WHEN: Friday, November 9, 12:00-1:00 p.m
WHERE: Dudley House, 2nd Floor, Graduate Student Lounge
HOSTED BY: Harvard GSAS Science Policy Group

Bina Venkataraman is the director of global policy initiatives at the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard and serves as senior adviser to the chair of President Obama’s science advisory council (PCAST). She will share her insights about the interface between science and policy discussing aspects of her career as well as opportunities available for policy-oriented graduate students in scientific fields. Lunch will be served.

Science and the 2012 Presidential Election

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When: Mon Oct 22, 8pm
Where: Dudley House Graduate Student Lounge
Hosted by: GSAS Science Policy Group

Do you think scientists should be more engaged in public policy ? Are you worried about how science is communicated to the public? Are you interested in policy issues directly related to science, like biotechnology, nuclear security, alternative energy, climate change,  health reform, and science education?

Come to the GSAS Science Policy Group’s opening event to meet other students interested in the intersection of science and policy, and hear about the events planned for the year.

Join us for this low-key event about science in the 2012 elections, followed by a showing of the final presidential debate at 9pm.  Snacks and beer will be served!

Science Policy Careers Symposium

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WHEN: Wed May 2
WHERE: Longwood (a.m.) and Cambridge (p.m.) Campuses
HOSTS: Harvard GSAS Science Policy Group, HGWISE, DMS Policy Paths, Harvard GSAS and HMS Postdoc Offices

This full-day symposium will introduce graduate students and postdoctoral fellows to a wide range of careers in the field of science policy. Attendees will leave the symposium with a better understanding of how to transition from scientific research to policy work, and of opportunities for science policy internships, fellowships and careers in government, non-profits and the private sector.

Sessions will be held in the morning at Harvard Medical School and in the afternoon at Harvard’s Cambridge campus; the format will be the same for each session:

Keynote Address


Embracing the Cactus: Making Policy/Making Change*
Featured Speaker: 
Norka Ruiz Bravo, PhD, Former Senior Advisor for Science and Technology Partnerships, United States Agency for International Development

Session One – Concurrent Panels



Panel: Fellowships Programs – How to Break into Science Policy

Panelists Include: 
Ilya Fischhoff, PhD, Co-Producer, Down to Earth Series; Former AAAS Fellow
Dana Christofferson, PhD, Presidential Management Fellow, Veterans Health Administration
Erin Boyd, PhD, AAAS Congressional Science Policy Fellowship, American Physical Society



Panel: Policy Governing Science Research

Panelists Include: 
Adam Fagen, PhD, Executive Director, Genetics Society of America
Miriam Quintal, MA, Lobbyist/Consultant, Lewis-Burke Associates
Heather Rieff, PhD, Sr. Health Science Policy Advisor, Office of Science Policy and Planning, National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, NIH

Session Two – Concurrent Panels



Panel: Health and Education Policy

Panelists Include: 
Jalonne White-Newsome, MS, PhD, Kendall Fellow in Climate Change and Public Health, Union of Concerned Scientists
Kyle Brown, PhD, Legislative Assistant for Health and Education, U.S. Senate
Cathleen Walsh, MSPH, DPH, Director of the Policy Research, Analysis and Development Office, Center for Disease Control

Panel: Energy, Environment, and Climate Policy

Panelists Include: 
Eric Larson, PhD, Senior Scientist, Energy Systems, Climate Central
Mitchell Baer, PhD, Director, Office of Oil and Gas Analysis, Department of Energy
Jenny Dissen, MS, Director of Climate Literacy and Outreach, Cooperative Institute for Climate and Satellites, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

Registration is required to attend, see http://postdoc.hms.harvard.edu/events/sciencepolicy2012.html. Please direct your questions to sciencepolicy@hcs.harvard.edu

Lunch Chat with Professor Matt Bunn, Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs

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WHEN: Wed April 25th, 12pm
WHERE: Dudley House Common Room

Prof. Bunn is an expert in nuclear weapons security, nuclear energy and advanced energy technologies, and has written dozens of articles and books on these subjects. He has a PhD from MIT and has worked at the National Academy of Sciences, and as an advisor to the Office of Science and Technology Policy during the Clinton administration. He is currently an associate professor at the Harvard Kennedy School and appointed at the Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs. Prof. Bunn will share his experiences working at the intersection of science and policy during this informal lunch. Contact Edlyn at edlynlevine@fas.harvard.edu with any questions. Lunch will be served.

Science, Technology and Policy Crossroads Symposium: “Layers of Uncertainty in Science Policy”

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The Harvard GSAS Science Policy Group to attend to the 2012 Science, Technology and Policy Crossroads Symposium:

“Layers of Uncertainty in Science Policy”

Monday March  5,  2pm,  Science Center, Harvard University
RSVP at  http://bit.ly/AlQf4C

Keynote Address:     Rear Admiral Ali Khan, Director of Health Preparedness  and Response, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

Panel Discussion:    

Jon Beckwith, Harvard Medical School
Dan Hastings, MIT Dean for Undergraduate Education
Sheila Jasanoff, Harvard Kennedy School
Eli Kintisch, MIT Knight Science Journalism Fellow

Concurrent break-out sessions: informal discussions on different policy topics. Hosts include the Union of Concerned Scientists and MIT’s Leading Technology Policy Initiative.

Reception: free food and drink; opportunity for interaction, conversation and networking!

About the topic:  Notions of uncertainty are inevitably at the forefront of many science policy discussions and may be a source of disconnect between scientists, policy makers, communicators and the public. The “layers” of uncertainty we envision include the process of reconciling contradictory scientific evidence,  dealing with unmeasurable or non-verifiable facts, uncertainty in the outcomes of regulations, anticipating the public response and communicating uncertainty, and accepting a level of risk in any decision.

About us: STP Crossroads is a joint initiative between groups and programs from MIT,  Harvard, and other area schools that seeks to bring together the greater Cambridge academic community interested in science and technology  policy issues.

For more information, or to contact us, please go to http://stpcrossroads.org/ or http://www.fb.me/stpcrossroads.

With student representatives from:

MIT Technology and Policy Program
MIT Science Policy Initiative
MIT Science Impact Collaborative
Harvard Kennedy School Program on Science, Technology & Society
Harvard Kennedy School STP Professional Interest Council
Harvard GSAS Science Policy Club
Harvard DMS Policy Paths

With support from:

MIT Leading Technology Policy Initiative
MIT Energy Club
Harvard Provost’s Office
Harvard Dean of Science
Harvard GSC
Kennedy School Student Government
Harvard Integrated Life Sciences

GSPG Event: The Transition from Science to Policy – A discussion with former AAAS fellow David Hewitt

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WHEN: Friday Nov 18, 5pm-6pm
WHERE: Northwest Labs 453

If you’re interested in trying out a career in science policy, the AAAS offers hundreds of 1-2 year, well-paid fellowships for new PhD Students to work in a variety of government agencies and offices as science policy advisors. Join us for a happy hour discussion with OEB PhD graduate, and former AAAS Science and Technology Policy Fellow David Hewitt, who will talk about his journey from science PhD to non-profit science and education outreach, science policy, and consulting. A true renaissance man, David does all this while still conducting science research and teaching at University of Pennsylvania.

GSPG Event: Discussion Session on “Connecting the Smart Grid and Renewable Energy”

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WHEN: Wed Nov 2, 7pm
WHERE: Dudley House Fireside Room

*followed by Careers Events meeting

There are many exciting developments being made at the frontier of renewable energy research. A study by a UN climate panel recently stated that by 2050, 80% of the world’s energy demands could be met with renewable energy sources, such as wind and solar power. It sounds like encouraging news, right? While producing a large portion of our energy needs from renewables is becoming more and more feasible, transporting this power so that it can be used in homes and companies is another challenge that can’t be overlooked if we hope to realistically incorporate renewable energy into our power regime.

The electrical grid today is still based off of 1960′s technology and not equipped to deal with the uncertainty in power production introduced by renewable energy sources. Efforts are being made to change this, and one important aspect of a “Smart Grid” should be its ability to accommodate renewable energy sources. Since changing personal habits of how we consume energy will be difficult, increasing the efficiency with which energy is transported, will help reduce this burden. What do you think the role of science and policy will be in developing the Smart Grid? What are the main challenges?

3 articles:

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/09/06/opinion/brooks-where-the-jobs-arent.html?_r=1&scp=1&sq=smart%20grid&st=cse

http://www.smartgridnews.com/artman/publish/commentary/Myths_and_Realities_of_Renewable_Energy-556.html

http://www.renewableenergyworld.com/rea/news/podcast/2010/02/energy-storage-will-we-find-the-holy-grail

If interested..
http://www.c-spanvideo.org/program/301331-1 (President Obama’s Job Council Meeting, Sept. 1, (very long! but around 1hr44mins some interesting perspective
from Lew Hay, CEO of NextEra Energy)

http://energysystems.princeton.edu/ (Exciting research done in this field)

GSPG event: Lunchtime chat with Venky Narayanamurti

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WHEN: Tuesday, October 11, 12:15-1:15 p.m
WHERE: Dudley House

Dr. Venkatesh Narayanamurti is a Professor of Physics, the former dean of SEAS, and the director of the Science, Technology & Public Policy Program of the Belfar Center of the Kennedy School. He will share his insights into the relationship scientists and engineers have with society and policy, and discuss options for careers in policy.

GSPG event: Discussion session on John Marburger

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WHEN: Wed Sept 7th, 7pm 
WHERE: Dudley House, Graduate Student Lounge

We will start off with our first meeting, where we’ll discuss activities planned for the year and new ideas. If you’d like to be involved with the the organizational aspects of the group, make sure to attend.  After the short meeting, we’ll have a our first discussion section.  John Sadowski will run the discussion focusing on John Marburger, GW Bush’s controversial science advisor who passed away just this summer. See the information below, and the suggested articles to look over. 

Discussion info:

John Marburger was the President’s science advisor during the George W. Bush administration.  His tenure was marked by controversy as he defended the Bush administration’s policies on topics such as climate change, stem cell research, and abstinence-only sex education.  He also defended the administration from accusations that scientific research and evidence was being suppressed or ignored for political reasons, most notably in response to a 2004 report by the Union of Concerned Scientists.  On the other hand, Marburger has been characterized as a realist who understood the growing relationship between the institutions of science and government, and the effects of increasing public scrutiny of scientific issues.  He was also a supporter of a nascent field called “science of science policy”, which seeks to objectively analyze how science policy decisions affects a nation’s ability to produce and benefit from innovation.

 Marburger, a life-long Democrat, was a physicist who had served as the President of Stony Brook University and later Director of Brookhaven National Laboratory before his tenure as Bush’s science advisor.  In 2004, he stated his philosophy that “no one will know my personal positions on issues as long as I am in this job. I am here to make sure that the science input to policy making is sound and that the executive branch functions properly with respect to its science and technology missions.”

Readings:

James Glanz.  “At the Center Of the Storm Over Bush And Science.”  The New York Times, March 30, 2004.  ( http://www.nytimes.com/2004/03/30/science/at-the-center-of-the-storm-over-bush-and-science.html?pagewanted=all )

David Malakoff.  “White House Rebuts Charges It Has Politicized Science”  Science, April 9, 2004.  ( http://www.sciencemag.org/content/304/5668/184.full )

Robert P. Crease.  “Crease: Marburger knew how to do science.”  Newsday, August 1, 2011.  ( http://www.newsday.com/opinion/oped/crease-marburger-knew-how-to-do-science-1.3067553 )