September 2020 Newsletter

Upcoming Events

  • Picture a Scientist Screening and Discussion. SPOT has teamed up with University of Chicago’s Women and Gender Minorities in Physics (WAGMIP), Graduate Recruitment Initiative Team (GRIT), and the UChicago Science Policy group to screen Picture a Scientist on Wednesday September 16th. The film will be available to view at your convenience for 48 hours on either the 16th or 17th and there will be a follow up discussion on Thursday September 17th at 5:30 pm CST. To access the viewing link and discussion event, RSVP here by September 14th.
  • Welcome Back Event. SPOT will be having a kickoff event on Friday, October 2nd at 12pm. If you’re interested in learning more about existing and new initiatives, as well as meeting other people interested in science policy, please RSVP here.
  • Book Club Discussion. If you are interested in joining our Science Policy Book Club, please fill out this form. We meet monthly! The September book is On Fire: The (Burning) Case for a Green New Deal by Naomi Klein.

 

Other Events and Opportunities

  • SACNAS (the Society for Advancement of Chicanos/Hispanics and Native Americans in Science) will be virtually hosting their Annual Midwest Regional Meeting from October 2-4th. The title of the meeting is “Science and Equity: Allyship and Inclusion in STEM and Beyond”. Registration is now open and free!
  • AAAS is hosting What’s It Like to Be a Fellow?, a virtual live chat with three AAAS Science & Technology Policy Fellows about what an S&T Fellow’s day-to-day life is like, at 4pm on September 16. Learn more and register at the AAAS website.
  • The Ben Barres Fellowship is a $2000-$5000 award for professional development of trans, intersex, and non-binary graduate students and post-doctoral fellows in the fields of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). The application deadline for the first round of awards is September 30, 2020.
  • Election volunteering opportunity: The COVID-19 pandemic means that many usual election judge volunteers (senior citizens) no longer feel comfortable serving this role. Volunteer to be an election judge and serve your neighborhood! Find more information here. If you have questions, please contact emmazajdela@u.northwestern.edu.
  • The Malta Conferences Foundation, a nonprofit which uses science as a bridge to peace in the Middle East, is looking for volunteers to help with website development, social media communications, newsletter publishing, and more. Click here for more details on how to apply for this professional development opportunity. For more information, visit their website or email malta@mychemist.net.

 

In the News

  • Dr. Kelly Singel compiled an extensive list of science policy fellowships — see here for more.
  • PNAS published an opinion piece on the science community’s obligation – and opportunity – to inform science policy — see here for more.
  • The US will invest over $765 million in a dozen research centers studying AI and quantum information — see here for more.
  • An international commission determined that gene-edited human embryos should not yet be used to create pregnancies – see here for more.

 

Get Involved with SPOT

  • We are recruiting four people to join an all-new review board for our one-pager program. Responsibilities will include working with the other members of the board, the one-pager writers, and the Legislative Outreach Lead (Kavi Chintam) to ensure one-pagers we deliver to legislators are of the highest standard. Time commitment is dependent on when one-pager requests are received, and will generally entail two weeks of revisions. You will also be required to attend a brief training session. If you are interested, you may apply here by 9/30. Feel free to reach out to kchintam@u.northwestern.edu with any questions.
  • Do you want to share your research with the public? We are always looking for more ideas for programming for our science outreach program towards elderly populations, Science with Seniors. If you have an idea of a topic you would like to present on, please reach out to emilyschafer2023@u.northwestern.edu.
  • Do you think legislators could benefit from learning more about your research or scientific interests? We are currently looking for people interested in writing briefs for local representatives about scientific topics as part of our Legislative Outreach Team. Email kchintam@u.northwestern.edu if you are interested!
  • Do you have any news/events/opportunities related to science policy that might be worth sharing? We welcome any items to add to the newsletter! Email spotforcenu@gmail.com if you want to share anything.

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Careers in Science Policy: Adria Wilson

Join us for a discussion with former AAAS Fellow, Adria Wilson, about leveraging your Ph.D. in the science policy space.

We will meet on Thursday, September 3rd at Noon via ZoomPlease RSVP here.

Adria Wilson is currently the Entrepreneurial Program Lead at Chain Reaction Innovations in Argonne National Lab. Previously, Adria served as a legislative fellow in the Washington, D.C. office of Senator Bernie Sanders. In this discussion section, Adria will present an overview of her career path and answer your questions.