Science policy: Lessons from Washington, D.C.

Right now I am taking part in an experience that is highly unusual for graduate students in the physical sciences: a two-week science policy workshop. Typically, even though we are not enrolled as university students during summer, science graduate students are expected to spend summers working in their laboratories as research assistants. In fact, our advisers see summers as the ideal time to get research done, since there is no distraction from classes, teaching or other departmental functions.

But earlier this year, the more I began to think about my future, the more questions I started having about how science is made. For example, the National Science Foundation funds my research, but who decided we should get those research dollars? Who influences how the government makes decisions about science policy? And who is keeping the public informed about where taxpayer money is going? Also, I wanted to know how I could contribute to and influence discussions of science policy. Could I spend part of my summer exploring these questions?