Science Editorial Highlights S&T Policy Fellowships

April 15, 2009

Effectively applying science and its values to solving global problems will require supporting a wider range of career choices for members of the scientific community, according to a recent editorial by Science Editor-in-Chief Bruce Alberts, a member of the CCST Board of Directors.

"One senses that we are reaching a tipping point," said Alberts in the editorial, "Science for Science." "Students who work in the world of public policy, government, precollege education, industry, or law will no longer be viewed as deserting science."

The editorial in the April 3 issue of Science Magazine underscores the importance of greater involvement of scientists, citing the California Science and Technology Policy Fellowships as an example of a new effort to bring together scientists with policymakers. "Many other governments around the world would certainly benefit from a similar infusion of scientific expertise," said Alberts.

The California Science and Technology (S&T) Policy Fellowships provide a professional development opportunity that will enable members of the scientific community to contribute to scientific and technical issues facing California through their interaction with the legislative process. The program was adapted for California from a similar fellowship offered by the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) in the federal policy arena.

The first California S&T Fellows are scheduled to be placed in Fall 2009.