Tag: policy

Amazing opportunity: California Science and Technology Policy Fellowship

This is a great opportunity for anyone who wants to mix science and technology with policy: California Science and Technology Policy Fellowship.  This Fellowship is basically a modified version of the well known AAAS Fellowships.  But it is better because, well, it is in California.  The first PhD student to finish from my lab did this a few years ago and is now working at the White House.  More information about the program is available here: PROGRAM DESCRIPTION.

To be eligible one must possess a PhD or equivalent degree or an MS in an engineering discipline plus at least three years post degree work experience.

Instructions for applying are available here.  Some FAQs about eligibility and the program are here. 

Previous Fellows are listed here:

Applications are due Feb 28, 2013.
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This is from the “Tree of Life Blog”
of Jonathan Eisen, an evolutionary biologist and Open Access advocate
at the University of California, Davis. For short updates, follow me on Twitter.

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Can you apply the laws of science to the science of laws? try this CCST fellowship

Just got this announcement for this important Fellowship program.  A student who got her PhD in my lab just started in this program for this years group (see the SJ Mercury News Story about this program here). Love the flyer by the way “Can you apply the laws of science to the science of laws?”. Email announcement is below:

“The California Council on Science and Technology (CCST) is pleased to announce that applications are now being accepted for the 2010-2011 California Science and Technology Policy Fellowships based in Sacramento.

The S&T Policy Fellowship, a unique one-year professional development opportunity, provides the selected fellows with hands-on experience working with the California Legislature to incorporate science and technology into public policy. Eligible applicants will be PhD-level (or equivalent) scientists and engineers who have a sincere interest in California current events, the state legislative process, and a strong desire to learn how policy decisions are made.

Please forward this announcement to any individuals or group listservs that may be interested in this exciting opportunity. Deadline for submission of applications is February 12, 2010 at 5:00 p.m. PST. More information is available at http://www.fellows.ccst.us.”

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This is from the “Tree of Life Blog”
of Jonathan Eisen, an evolutionary biologist and Open Access advocate
at the University of California, Davis. For short updates, follow me on Twitter.

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Good week for biology in the Bush Administration

It has been a really really good week for biology in the Bush Administration. First, the 2006 National Medals of Science were announced. I know this is administered by NSF but I am sure the Bush administration had some role in the selection but it still is happening during the Bush administration (see comment by Mayra Montrose from the National Medal of Science correcting my erroneous ways). Eight people were recognized (see the MSNBC CosmicLog of Alan Boyle for more information) and six of them do biology-related research:

  • Hyman Bass – University of Michigan. A mathematician.
  • Marvin H. Caruthers – University of Colorado, Boulder. A biochemist.
  • Rita R. Colwell – University of Maryland (College Park, MD). A microbiologist. One of my favorites.
  • Peter B. Dervan – California Institute of Technology. They list him as a chemist but he is really a biochemist with a biology focus, in my opinion.
  • Nina V. Fedoroff – Pennsylvania State University. A plant geneticist.
  • Daniel Kleppner – Massachusetts Institute of Technology. A physicist.
  • Robert S. Langer – Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Also listed as a chemist but does mostly biochemistry.
  • Lubert Stryer – Stanford University. A hard core biochemist.

There will be a presentation at the White House apparently broadcast live:

<!–details will soon be posted on www.nsf.gov/nsb/awards/nms/medal.htm.–>

President Bush will present 2006 and 2005 Laureates with National Medals of Science and Technology during a White House awards ceremony on Friday, July 27, 2007. The ceremony will be broadcast via satellite feed for journalists.It will also be available as a live webcast at www.whitehouse.gov.

And then, even better, Condoleezza Rice announced her new science advisor is Nina Federoff, one of the National Medal Recipients and a plant geneticist (see above). So – the Bush administration has been justifiably criticized for much of the way it treats science, especially biology (can we say evolution anyone). But there are nevertheless pockets of good news. And hey – its better than nothing.

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This is from the “Tree of Life Blog”
of Jonathan Eisen, an evolutionary biologist and Open Access advocate
at the University of California, Davis. For short updates, follow me on Twitter.

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What can you do to prevent the execution of health care workers in Libya?

From PLoS Medicine Blog:

There can be no greater nightmare for a medical worker than to be accused of harming their patients. Even worse, if the allegations are untrue. Yet this is exactly what has happened to six health workers who have been sentenced to death for spreading HIV among Libyan children. Today we publish urgently an essay from Council on Foreign Relations Senior Fellow and Pulitzer Prize winning author Laurie Garrett, that warns of the terrible dangers not just to these workers but to health workers worldwide, and their patients in the poorest parts of the world if the executions go ahead. The essay is part of an increasing chorus of condemnation in scientific journals including Science and Nature . AAAS has a website which gives information on how anyone can add their voice to this campaign.

See also
Tangled Wing
Nature Blog

——–
This is from the “Tree of Life Blog”
of Jonathan Eisen, an evolutionary biologist and Open Access advocate
at the University of California, Davis. For short updates, follow me on Twitter.

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