Vanderbilt's 2022 STEM Policy & Advocacy Seminar
the Vanderbilt University Medical Center Office of Federal Relations, The Vanderbilt Graduate School, the BRET Office of Career Development ASPIRE Program, the Office of Postdoctoral Affairs, the Russell G. Hamilton Graduate Leadership Institute, and the Vanderbilt University Career Center.
About
Federal STEM Policy & Advocacy: An Inside the Beltway Look
October 13-14, 2022
Washington, D.C.
If you’re interested in a career in science policy, you won’t want to miss this unique opportunity to participate in an expense-paid trip to Washington D.C. for Federal STEM Policy & Advocacy: An Inside the Beltway Look.
This two-day event will provide Vanderbilt graduate students and postdoctoral fellows in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) an opportunity to learn how federal STEM policy is made and the role of advocacy by various stakeholders in achieving policy goals. Participants will hear from officials–including some VU alumni–who work in the Executive and Legislative branches of government as well as scientific societies, associations, and coalitions who are actively engaged in influencing and promoting federal investments in science and engineering. For STEM students and postdocs thinking about careers in public policy, this behind-the-scenes look will provide insights into potential career opportunities.
2022 Agenda
Wednesday, Oct. 12
Arrive in Washington, D.C.
Thursday, Oct. 13
9:00 am - Welcome and Introductions
9:30 am - Introduction to U.S. Science & Technology Policy
- Speaker: Toby Smith, Vice President for Science Policy & Global Affairs, Association of American Universities
10:30 am - Break
11:00 am - Keynote Address
- Tara Schwetz, Ph.D., Acting Principal Deputy Director, National Institutes of Health
12:00 pm - Lunch
12:30 pm - Introduction to the Federal Budget Process & Federal R&D Budgets
- Sheila Murphy, Vice President of Advocacy Programs and Initiatives, Research!America
1:45 pm - Break
2:00 pm - Case Study: Mock FY 2023 Labor-HHS-Education Appropriations Conference Committee
3:30 pm - Break
3:45 pm - Capitol Hill Careers and Beyond - in STEM Policy
- Deborah Altenburg*, Associate Vice President for Research Policy and Government Affairs, Association of Public and Land-grant Universities
- Gene Irisari*, Vice President for Public Affairs and Head of Semiconductor Policy, Samsung
- Catherine Johnson, Ph.D., Senior Professional Staff, House Science, Space, and Technology Committee
- John Rivard, Ph.D., Director of Advanced Concepts, Ultra Electronics Group
5:00 pm - Conclude
*Vanderbilt alumni or affiliates.
Friday, Oct. 14
9:00 am - Science Policy Fellows Panel
- Amrita Banerjee*, Ph.D., AAAS Executive Branch Fellow, U.S. Department of State
- Dorothy Butler*, Ph.D., AAAS Executive Branch Fellow, Environmental Protection Agency
- Eve Granatosky, Ph.D., Principal, Lewis-Burke Associates
- Edward van Opstal*, Ph.D., Lead Scientist, Booz Allen Hamilton
10:15 am - Break
10:30 am - Science Policy in the Executive Branch
- Rick Borchelt, Director for Communications and Public Affairs, U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Science
- Trisha Chakraborty, Ph.D., Health Policy Analyst, National Institutes of Health
- Ryan Ortega, Ph.D., Regulatory Advisor, Food and Drug Administration
- Joel Parriott, Ph.D., Assistant Director of Federal R&D, Office of Science and Technology Policy
- Kenzie Snowden, Social Media Manager, Office of Legislative and Public Affairs, National Science Foundation
11:30 am - Lunch
1:00 pm - Amplify Your Message: Exploring Advocacy Campaign Methods and Tools
2:15 pm - Reflections & Conclusions
2:30 pm - Return to the airport
Who is eligible?
1. Applicants must be a current Vanderbilt University graduate student or postdoctoral fellow in a STEM field (Science/quantitative Social Science, Technology, Engineering, Math).
- MS students must be in a terminal research Master's program and have completed one full year of graduate work at VU by the time of application.
- Ph.D. students who entered graduate school through the IGP, QCB, CPB, MSTP, or IMSD must have passed their qualifying exams before the application deadline.
2. Applicants must hold U.S. citizenship or dual citizenship between the US and another country.
3. Applicants must be able to attend the full workshop in Washington, DC, on October 13-14, 2022; this will require a departure from Nashville on October 12.
To complete your online application, you will need to upload the following items as pdfs:
- A current CV or resume highlighting academic accomplishments. leadership and service, and other experiences relevant to this event,
- A letter of interest (300-400 words) describing your interest in the role of science in policy-making and advocacy, and what you hope to gain from such an experience, and
- A brief description (300-400 words) of your graduate or postdoctoral research, as you would describe it to a lay audience; for example, if you were going to describe it to a lawmaker.
Your application is not complete without these items.
When is the deadline to apply?
Tuesday, Aug. 30 at midnight
>>>CLICK HERE TO APPLY>>>
Funding Information
Funding for selected attendees comes from one of three sources, depending on your affiliation with the university and your department. The BRET ASPIRE program is sponsoring biomedical sciences Ph.D. students and postdoctoral fellows affiliated with the School of Medicine Basic Sciences or VUMC (contact ashley.brady@vanderbilt.edu). The Graduate Leadership Institute (GLI) is sponsoring STEM graduate students affiliated with departments outside the School of Medicine/Basic Sciences (contact anna.thomas@vanderbilt.edu). The Office of Postdoctoral Affairs is sponsoring STEM postdocs affiliated with departments outside the School of Medicine/VUMC (contact faith.t.bishop@vanderbilt.edu).
Regardless of which campus partner sponsors your participation, the following trip-related expenses will be covered:
- Hotel accommodations for the evening of October 12 and October 13 at the event hotel.
- Roundtrip coach class airfare from Nashville to Washington, D.C., departing October 12 and returning October 14.
Attendees will be responsible for their ground transportation/parking expenses in Nashville and Washington, D.C, as well as meals not included in the program or the hotel stay (up to 4+ meals). Washington, D.C. has an excellent rail system, the Metro, which connects to the airport and has stops near the event hotel.
Biomed/BRET trainees:
Biomedical sciences graduate students who were admitted through the IGP/QCB/IMSD, and postdoctoral fellows who are appointed through the BRET Office of Postdoctoral Affairs will be sponsored to attend this program as an ASPIRE on the Road experience, funded by an ASPIRE travel scholarship. You can learn more about the ASPIRE travel scholarships on our website at https://medschool.vanderbilt.edu/aspire/aspire-travel-scholarship-program.
If you are selected to attend, the ASPIRE travel award will cover the following trip-related expenses:
- Individual hotel accommodations for the evening of October 12 and October 13 at the event hotel.
- Roundtrip coach class airfare from Nashville to Washington, D.C., departing October 12 and returning October 14.
Attendees will be responsible for their ground transportation/parking expenses in Nashville and Washington, D.C., as well as meals not included in the program or the hotel stay (this may be up to 4+ meals). Washington, D.C., has an excellent rail system, the Metro, which connects to the airport and has stops near the event hotel.
ASPIRE travel award recipients will be asked to participate in a survey about their experience and its impact on their career development.