CONGRESSIONAL SCIENCE FELLOWSHIPS: OPPORTUNITIES FOR PROMOTING THE GEOSCIENCES IN THE SERVICE OF SOCIETY

Congressional Science Fellowships provide extraordinary opportunities for promoting science in the service of society. Congressional Science Fellows serve as special legislative assistants in the U.S. House of Representatives or U.S. Senate for one year. The Fellowships are designed to educate scientists and engineers about the intricacies of federal policymaking; provide scientific expertise and analysis to support decision-makers confronting increasingly complex scientific and technical issues; foster positive exchange between scientists and policymakers; empower scientists and engineers to conduct policy-relevant research and other activities that address challenges facing society; and increase the involvement and visibility of scientists and engineers in the public policy realm. The Geological Society of America (GSA) and the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) have jointly sponsored a Congressional Science Fellowship for 25 years. Many fellows continue to make significant contributions at the interface between geoscience and public policy throughout their careers, which have included leadership positions in government, academic institutions, non-profit organizations, and the private sector. For example, former GSA-USGS Congressional Science Fellow Elizabeth Robinson was nominated by President Obama and confirmed by the U.S. Senate as Chief Financial Officer of NASA. She is responsible for managing NASA’s $18 billion annual budget, which includes major components of the U.S. Global Change Research Program. Former GSA-USGS Congressional Science Fellow Kai Anderson served as Legislative Director for now Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid. Anderson currently works in the private sector on a broad range of policy issues, including climate change, water resources, renewable energy siting, mining, and the environment. Former GSA-USGS Congressional Science Fellow Daniel Sarewitz is Professor of Science and Society at Arizona State University, where he is co-director of the Consortium for Science, Policy, and Outcomes. His monthly column in Nature has addressed climate change, natural hazards, and energy. It is easy to measure the cost of a one-year investment in a Congressional Science Fellowship but it is difficult to measure the return on that investment over the course of a career.