IP: A bit more on Congressional Science Fellowships

[Dave Farber <farber () cis upenn edu>]

From: "Turner, Jim" <Jim.Turner () mail house gov>
To: "'farber () cis upenn edu'" <farber () cis upenn edu>

Dave,
    Thank you for publicizing the AIP/APS Congressional Fellowships.
These Fellowships along with the Fellowships given by other professional
and engineering societies such as IEEE and ASME give unique
opportunities to those who win them.  Equally importantly, Congress
although it sometimes doesn't realize it, is desperate for scientific
and technological talent.  It is relatively rare for a scientist or
engineer to serve on a Congressional staff despite the numerous
decisions we have to make that affect the scientific and engineering
communities or have scientific or technical bases.  In fact, it is
relatively rare for Congressional staff to understand calculus or to
have taken a sophomore level science course of any kind!  This leads
Congressional offices and committees almost invariably to give AAAS
Fellows senior staff responsibilities as soon as the Fellows feel
comfortable.  Fellows who stay on often rise to very responsible
positions.  Our Committee's Democratic Chief of Staff started as a
Fellow; so did the Chief Financial Officer of the Department of Energy
and Senator Glenn's longtime Chief of Staff.  We are excited that in the
new Congress, for a first time, we will have an alumni of the Fellows
Program, physicist Rush Holt (D-NJ) as a duly elected Member of
Congress.  Even more valuable to the Congress are fellows who have
substantial experience on faculties or in industry before they become
Fellows.  I hope some of your IPers who are up for sabattical or
considering career changes will take a serious look at these programs.  


-----Original Message-----
From: Dave Farber [mailto:farber () cis upenn edu]
Sent: Saturday, November 14, 1998 11:04 AM
To: ip-sub-1 () majordomo pobox com
Subject: IP: Congressional Science Fellowships


Date: Fri, 13 Nov 1998 15:59:00 -0500 (EST)
From: fyi () aip org (AIP listserver)
To: fyi-mailing () aip org
Subject: FYI #155 - Congressional Science Fellowships

FYI
The American Institute of Physics Bulletin of Science Policy News
Number 155: November 13, 1998

AIP and APS Seek Applicants for Congressional Science Fellowships

Would you like to stroll the marble halls of Congress?  Do you
wish you could contribute a voice of science and reason to policy
debates?  Have you ever wondered whether law-making is really as
messy as sausage-making, as the old adage says?  The American
Institute of Physics and The American Physical Society are
looking for physicists who have an interest in science policy and
the process of making legislation.  Applications are now being
accepted for the 1999-2000 AIP and APS Congressional Science
Fellowships.

The Congressional Science Fellowship programs enable PhD
scientists to spend a year on Capitol Hill, in the office of a
Member of Congress or on a committee staff.  As legislative
assistants, the Fellows assist lawmakers by applying their
expertise to the analysis of science-related issues, while
learning about the legislative process.

Since 1988, AIP has been one of the 20-30 professional societies
which sponsor Fellows annually under a program organized by the
American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS.)  APS
has participated in the program since its inception in 1973.  Two
other AIP Member Societies, the American Geophysical Union and
the Optical Society of America, also participate in the
Fellowship program.  (Contact Daryl Tate at AGU: 202-939-3222,
and Liz Baldwin at OSA: 202-416-1418.)

While many Fellows return to academia or industry to share their
experience with scientific colleagues, others choose to stay in
the science policy arena.  Over the 25 years that AAAS has run
the program, a number of participants have achieved important
policy positions in Washington.  Former Fellows have held
positions as NIST Director, NSF Deputy Director, Assistant
Director at OSTP, OMB Branch Chief, and congressional committee
staff director.  Incoming Representative (and physicist) Rush
Holt (D-NJ) was an APS Fellow in 1984.

Fellows do not represent their sponsoring society on the Hill,
and are free to interview with any office or committee they wish
to work for.  AIP's 1998 Fellow, Kathryn Clay, has spent her year
working on environmental issues in the Office of Senator
Daniel Moynihan (D-NY).  Her main legislative focus is on a bill
to limit sulfur content in gasoline because of its impact on
greenhouse gas emissions.  AIP's newest Fellow, Lowell Ungar, has
just begun his term in the Office of Rep. Edward Markey (D-MA).  

While working for Senator Joseph Lieberman (D-CT), APS's 1998
Fellow, Peter Rooney,  has been active in building support for S.
2217, the bill to authorize doubling of federal civilian R&D
spending over 12 years.  The new APS Fellow, Antonia Herzog, has
chosen the office of Senator Jay Rockefeller (D-WV) for her term.

Readers interested in applying to the AIP and APS Fellowships
should have a PhD in physics or a closely related field.  In
exceptional cases, the PhD requirement may be waived for
candidates with compensating experience.  Applicants should have
a strong interest in science and technology policy and, ideally,
some experience in applying scientific knowledge toward the
solution of societal problems.  Other qualifications include U.S.
citizenship, and, for the AIP Fellowship, membership in one or
more of the ten AIP Member Societies at time of application. 
Further information on the programs and the materials required
for application can be found on the AIP HomePage at:
http://www.aip.org/pubinfo/flwshp.html

One application will suffice for both the AIP and APS programs.  
All application materials must be postmarked NO LATER THAN
JANUARY 15, 1999, and be mailed to the following address:

APS/AIP Congressional Science Fellowship Programs, 529 14th
Street, NW, Suite 1050, Washington, DC, 20045.

###############
Audrey T. Leath
Public Information Division
The American Institute of Physics
fyi () aip org
(301) 209-3094
http://www.aip.org/enews/fyi/
##END##########

_____________________________________________________________________
David Farber         
The Alfred Fitler Moore Professor of Telecommunication Systems
University of Pennsylvania 
Home Page: http://www.cis.upenn.edu/~farber