About the Fellowships: Executive Branch Host Agencies

Catagorized by program area, the agencies listed below host and fund executive branch fellowships in collaboration with AAAS.

Diplomacy, Security & Development

• Agency for International Development
• Department of Agriculture
  • Foreign Agricultural Service
• Department of Defense
• Department of Homeland Security
• Department of State
• National Institutes of Health
  • Fogarty International Center

Energy, Environment & Agriculture

• Army Corps of Engineers Institute for Water Resources
• Department of Agriculture
  • Forest Service
• Department of Energy
• Environmental Protection Agency
• National Oceanic Atmospheric Association
• National Science Foundation
  

Health, Education & Human Services

• Department of Agriculture
  • Food Safety Inspection Service
• Department of Health & Human Services
• Department of Veterans Affairs
• National Institutes of Health
• National Science Foundation

AAAS Fellows at the Department of Defense (DoD)

AAAS Fellows work with staff involved in the planning, development and oversight of U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) programs. Although not government officials with formal authority over such efforts, Fellows have the opportunity to advise and be involved in virtually all aspects of this process.

Fellows should not expect to work specifically on technical issues related to their dissertations or previous post-doctoral appointments, but rather to apply their technical, organizational, and communication skills to technical and policy issues in DoD. Additionally, Fellows help increase the awareness of DoD and its agencies as a challenging and rewarding career environment for scientists and engineers.

• Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition, Technology and Logistics
  The Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition, Technology and Logistics (OUSD/AT&L) oversees all matters relating to systems acquisition, research and engineering, economic security, atomic energy, advanced technology, environmental security, logistics and acquisition reform. Although not a research agency, its mission includes all aspects of defense systems development, from basic and applied research, to advanced technology development and systems engineering.
  
  OUSD/AT&L deals with a wide array of technical and policy-oriented issues. Some possible examples include chemical weapons disposal, space missions and policy, environmental remediation, U.S.-Russian environmental collaborations, base closure and redevelopment, ballistic missile defense, cooperative threat reduction, R&D funding, weapons testing, acquisition reform, program management policy, counter-proliferation, information technology and information warfare.
  
  
• Director of Defense Research & Engineering (DDR&E)
  The DDR&E is the principal staff advisor to the Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition, Technology, and Logistics (USD(AT&L)) and the Secretary and Deputy Secretary of Defense for research and engineering matters.
  
  
• Defense Threat Reduction Agency
  
  • Advanced Systems & Concepts Office
    The Defense Threat Reduction Agency's (DTRA) Advanced Systems and Concepts Office (ASCO) seeks creative and innovative professionals in engineering and science to address the national and international socio/political/technical issues of Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD), nuclear/biological/chemical. They are expected to lead investigative teams of specialists and subject-matter experts, coordinate and develop study efforts, and present those findings to senior officials in the executive branch or to congressional staff.
    
    Foreign travel is likely. Fellows are expected to dedicate one third of their time to developing their own personal area of interest compatible with the broad mission of the office and to champion new initiatives that could have a major impact on the nation's security or the broader world stability. The breadth of the study areas is not limited to WMD but can address Weapons of Mass Effect (disruptive effects that may have the same psychological or economic impact as WMD). Exceptional people seeking a different and challenging experience are invited to investigate the future with DTRA-ASCO in the general areas of:
    
    • Threat Anticipation and/or Reduction (including Terrorism)
      
    • Homeland Security
      
    • Force Transformation
      
    • Strategic Deterrence
    • Unconventional Options/Alternate Futures
      
      
  • The Chemical and Biological Technologies Directorate
    The goal of this Directorate is to research, develop, and demonstrate innovative technologies and capabilities to mitigate the threat and/or effects of chemical and biological events. The objectives are to:
    
    • Develop and execute an agile, flexible, and robust S&T program to meet validated needs.
      
    • Seek out "best-in-class" performers to pursue innovative solutions.
      
    • Push to ensure effective technology to the soldier, sailor, airman, and marine.
      
      
• Army Research Office
  The mission of the U.S. Army Research Office (ARO) is to manage the Army extramural basic research program in the physical and engineering sciences, materials science, atmospheric and terrestrial sciences, biology and mathematical sciences in response to Army-wide requirements. This research is largely carried out through grants to universities. The ARO manages the Army's Small Business Innovation Research program.

ARO sponsors long-range, opportunity-driven research that leads to pioneering scientific discoveries resulting in revolutionary advances in Army capabilities. Fellows have an opportunity to assist in shaping the Army's research program of the future and in managing new initiatives.

• Missile Defense Agency
  The Missile Defense Agency's (MDA) mission is to develop, test and prepare for the deployment of a missile defense system. Using complementary interceptors, land, sea, air and space-based sensors, and battle management command and control systems, the planned missile defense system will be able to engage all classes and ranges of ballistic missile threats. The MDA's programmatic strategy is to develop, rigorously test and continuously evaluate production, deployment and operational alternatives for the ballistic missile defense. MDA works at the leading edge of critical aspects of technology and national security, in response to the global expansion of missile technology and the threat of weapons of mass destruction.
  
  
• Office of Naval Research
  The Office of Naval Research (ONR) promotes, coordinates, funds and executes the S&T programs of the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps. Programs are developed and executed nationally through universities, government laboratories, industry and nonprofit organizations. Collaborations with the international S&T community are promoted and developed through ONR Global, an ONR department comprised of several international field offices. ONR provides advice to the Chief of Naval Operations and the Secretary of the Navy on all technical issues, but its primary focus is on the next Navy in development and the Navy after next.

Fellows detailed to ONR will assist in the development and administration of ONR research and educational programs during their assignment to ONR's home office in Arlington, VA. This assignment may be followed by up to six-months assigned to a defense laboratory or university center conducting Navy research where Fellows will participate in an existing or new S&T research project. ONR Fellows may be offered the opportunity to extend their assignment at ONR for a second year.

• Office of the Secretary of Defense, Director, Program Analysis and Evaluation
  The Office of the Secretary of Defense, Director, Program Analysis and Evaluation (OSD/PA&E), conducts independent analysis for and provides independent advice to the Secretary and Deputy Secretary of Defense. PA&E's principal responsibilities include:
  
  
  • Analyzing, evaluating, and providing alternative plans, programs, and budgets in relation to U.S. defense objectives, projected threats, allied contributions, estimated costs, and resource constraints.
    
  • Reviewing, analyzing, and evaluating programs, including classified programs, for executing approved strategies and policies.
    
  • Providing leadership in developing and promoting improved analytical skills and competencies, tools, data and methods for analyzing national security planning and the allocation of resources.
    
  • Ensuring that the costs, effectiveness, and capabilities of DoD programs, including classified programs, are presented accurately and completely.
  • Assessing effects of DoD spending on the U.S. economy, and evaluating alternative policies to ensure that DoD programs can be implemented.
    
    

  PA&E employs mathematicians, physicists, biochemists, molecular biologists, chemists, engineers, economists, etc. to provide honest, unbiased, analytical advice to the Secretary of Defense. Fellows have an opportunity to impact decisions through a wide variety of analytical efforts such as the following:

  • Analyze and evaluate the capabilities, effectiveness, feasibility, and costs of proposed and alternative forces, weapon systems, and programs.
  • Design and/or conduct studies and analyses of the capabilities of U.S., allied, and potential enemy forces.
  • Develop and/or validate life-cycle cost estimates of planned or proposed weapon systems.
  • Perform cost and/or economic analyses of alternative defense plans and programs.
  • Develop better mathematical models and analytical methods for use in Defense analysis.
  • Conduct research into economic and fiscal issues of major concern to the Department of Defense.
    
    
• Combating Terrorism Technology Support Office (CTTSO)
  CTTSO operates as a research and development program office of about 100 people under the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Special Operations and Low-Intensity Conflict. In 1999 CTTSO was assigned program management oversight for the Technical Support Working Group (TSWG). TSWG with a research budget in excess of $100M per year manages about 400 contracts with academia, small business, large businesses, government laboratories and foreign partner nations. The work focuses on delivered offensive, defensive and investigative technical combating terrorism capabilities for the military, police, fire service and other public safety professions. Since then three additional program elements have been added that further expand the combating terrorism response capabilities of the CTTSO:
  
  
  • Explosive Ordnance Disposal/Low-Intensity Conflict (EOD/LIC)
  • Irregular Warfare Support (IWS)
    
  • Human, Behavioral, Social, and Cultural Modeling
    
  
  Fellows will be assigned to the CTTSO Science Advisor and act as technical advisors to CTTSO program managers. Projects cover a wide range of the chemical, biological, behavioral and engineering disciplines. Fellows will be exposed to the entire project life cycle including identification of requirements, solicitations of proposals, technical reviews, contract award and execution, and final delivery to user agencies. Through this process, fellows will interface with user agencies, numerous federal agencies as well as state and local agencies, international partners, and the legislative branch.
  
  Domestic travel (up to 10%) is required and foreign travel is likely.
  
  
• National Defense University
  
  • Center for Technology and National Security Policy
    The life sciences program at the Center for Technology and National Security Policy has had considerable flexibility to explore a number of policy issues during the last three years. Topics have included the utility of the Biowatch biosensor program, as well as alternatives to the current DoD vaccination scheme. Additional work has centered on the emergence of biotechnology as a force multiplier for the military. There is an ongoing project with a major medical school, where fMRI is being used to understand the manner in which certain messages are perceived and interpreted by members of various cultures. There is also a major project underway in which we are assessing the consequences of a flu pandemic, especially as it relates to military readiness.
  • Information Resources Management College
    The Information Resources Management College offers graduate-level courses, programs, and educational services to government leaders who seek to leverage information and information technology for strategic advantage. The college's faculty collaborate in an interdisciplinary environment to create learning opportunities for Department of Defense and federal government leaders.
    

Testimonials of Fellows at DoD

• Lisa Dixon
  2005-2007 Fellow at the U.S. Department of Defense in the Office of the Secretary of Defense in the Program Analysis & Evaluation
• Greg Davis
  2005-2006 Fellow at the U.S. Department of Defense in the Office of the Secretary of Defense, Program Analysis & Evaluation, Office of Resource Analysis
• Christophe McCray
  2005-07 AAAS Fellow at the US Department of Defense in the Office of Naval Research, Expeditionary Warfare Operations Technology Division
• Susan Cumberledge and DJ Patil
  2004-2005 Fellows at the U.S. Department of Defense in the Defense Threat Reduction Agency collaborated with other fellows in the Iraqi Virtual Science Library
• Susan Cumberledge, DJ Patil and Benjamin Perman
  2004-2005 Fellows at the U.S. Department of Defense in the Defense Threat Reduction Agency collaborated with other fellows in the Collaborative Biological Research Program
• Kwabena Yiadom
  2004-2005 Fellow at the U.S. Department of Defense, International Technology Programs Office
• Eric Landree
  2000-2002 Fellow at the U.S. Department of Defense in the Office of the Deputy Under Secretary of Defense for Science and Technology
  
• Jerry Gilfoyle
  1999-2000 Fellow at the U.S. Department of Defense in the Defense Threat Reduction Agency, Advanced Systems and Concepts Office
• Joan Fuller
  1997-1999 Fellow at the U.S. Department of Defense in the Office of the Air Force Deputy Assistant Secretary for Acquisition, Science, Technology & Engineering
  
• Irving Lachow
  1998-1999 Fellow at the U.S. Department of Defense in the Office of the Undersecretary of Defense for Acquisition and Technology

Web site: www.dod.gov

AAAS Fellows at the Department of Homeland Security (DHS)

Innovation and cutting-edge science are more than just buzzwords at the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS), as AAAS Fellows will discover during their fellowship the department. DHS is at the forefront of a new age of employing science to anticipate, prevent, respond to, and recover from terrorist attacks, and conduct mission-directed research in science and technology. Fellows may have an opportunity to work in one of several offices within the following directorates:

• Directorate for Science and Technology
  
  
• Explosives Division focuses on the detection, mitigation, and response to explosives such as improvised explosive devices and suicide bombers.
• Chemical and Biological Division conducts analyses for better characterization and prioritization of the threat, develops detection systems to provide early warning of a possible attack so as to minimize exposure and speed treatment of victims, conducts forensic analyses to support attribution, and works with federal partners who have lead responsibilities in decontamination and restoration, agrodefense, and food security.
• Border and Maritime Security Division develops, evaluates, and demonstrates technologies and tools for better securing our land and maritime ports of entry. We are pilot testing surveillance and monitoring capabilities to cover vast expanses of remote border and developing and testing security devices and inspection methods to secure the large volume of cargo entering U.S. ports daily.
• Command, Control, & Interoperability Division focuses on operable and interoperable communications for emergency responders, security and integrity of the Internet, and development of automated capabilities that “connect-the-dots” to recognize potential threats.
• Human Factors Division applies the social and behavioral sciences to improve detection, analysis, and understanding of threats posed by individuals, groups, and radical movements; to support the preparedness, response and recovery of communities impacted by catastrophic events; and to advance national security by integrating human factors into homeland security technologies.
• Infrastructure/Geophysical Division focuses on identifying and mitigating the vulnerabilities of the 17 critical infrastructure and key assets that keep our society and economy functioning.
  
  
• Office of Health Affairs
  The Office of Health Affairs is the Department of Homeland Security’s principal authority for all medical and public health matters. Working across all levels of government, and with the private sector, the office leads the department’s role in developing, supporting, measuring and refining a scientifically rigorous, intelligence-based medical and biodefense architecture that ensures the public health and medical security of our Nation.
  
  Divisions
  • Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD) and Biodefense
    • Bioshield Program
    • BioWatch Program
    • National Biosurveillance Integration System
    • Animal Disease and Agrodefense
  • Medical Readiness
    • Contingency planning
    • Medical integration and coordination
    • First responder readines
    • WMD incident management support
    • Medical preparedness grant coordination
    • Pandemic Influenza planning and coordinatio
  • Component services
    • Occupational Health and Safety Programs for DHS
    • Protective Medicine
      
      
• Policy Directorate
  The Office of Policy Development strengthens homeland security by developing and coordinating policies, planning, and programs that better integrate the Department's entire prevention, protection, response and recovery mission. One major aspect of the work accomplished by this Office is related to policy development for countermeasures to the deliberate use of biological, chemical, and radiological/nuclear threat agents. The Office also helps address myriad other issues created by the rapidly evolving world of technology that can jeopardize as well as enhance homeland security.

Testimonials of Fellows at DHS

• Terry Adirim
  2006-2007 Fellow at the U.S. Department of Homeland Security in the Office of Health Affairs
• Allison Smith
  2004-2006 Fellow at the U.S. U.S. Department of Homeland Security in the Science and Technology Directorate, Office of Threat Vulnerability, Testing, and Analysis

Web site: www.dhs.gov



AAAS Fellows at the Fogarty International Center (FIC)

Fogarty supports basic, clinical and applied research and training for U.S. and foreign investigators working in low- and middle-income countries. The Center is the international component of the NIH, addressing global health challenges through innovative and collaborative programs and international partnerships.

Over the past 40 years, support for international biomedical and behavioral research and training by the Fogarty International Center has grown from modest roots-its first year budget totaled $500,000-to the current $67 million that supports the research, training, and capacity-building enterprise in over 100 countries and involving some 5,000 scientists.

Fogarty is the only NIH Center whose exclusive mission is to focus on global health. Over the past two decades, Fogarty support has built significant expertise in training foreign health scientists and building research and public health capacity in low-and middle-income countries. Fogarty partners with 20 Institutes and Centers across the NIH to develop and fund these unique initiatives.

• Division of International Training and Research (DITR) - Training researchers, at home and abroad
  The international training and research division administers research grants, training grants and fellowship programs at sites in more than 100 countries. Fogarty programs that build the research pipeline are anchored to peer-reviewed research grants and designed to be collaborative, long term and flexible. Nearly a quarter of Fogarty awards are made directly to robust research institutions in the developing world. The remaining grants support scientists at U.S. institutions who collaborate with colleagues abroad. About one-third of Fogarty's grants focus on scientific discovery, and two-thirds support research training.
  
  
• Division of International Epidemiology and Populations Studies (DIEPS) - Predicting and analyzing disease outbreaks
  Fogarty's in-house scientists conduct research on the epidemiology and mathematical modeling of infectious diseases. Primary concentrations include cross-national studies of mortality patterns with special emphasis on influenza, vector-borne diseases and vaccine-preventable diseases. Since 2000, these scientists, with collaborators in more than 24 countries, have produced research used to guide domes-tic and international policy in the development of countermeasures for potential bioterror agents and public health measures to control the spread of infectious diseases.

Brochures describing Fogarty Programs and Accomplishments:

• The John E. Fogarty International Center: Advancing Science for Global Health
• Pathways to Global Health Research: Stratigic Plan 2008 - 2012
• Fogarty at 40: Advancing Science for Global Health

Web site: http://www.fic.nih.gov/



AAAS Fellows in the Foreign Agricultural Service of the Department of Agriculture

The Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS) of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) works to build new markets and improve the competitiveness of U.S. agriculture in the global marketplace and enhance agricultural productivity in developing nations through market development programs, international trade agreements and negotiations, the collection/analysis of statistics and market information, and through international cooperation.

FAS administers USDA's export credit guarantee and food aid programs, and helps increase income and food availability in developing nations by mobilizing expertise for agriculturally-led economic growth. FAS manages technical assistance and training to foster economic development and food security (including crop forecasting) in developing nations. It links U.S. and foreign scientists for research collaboration and technology exchanges. It promotes agribusiness development, including harmonization of transportation and product standards, and helps to establish partnerships between U.S. and overseas businesses.

Diplomacy Fellows have been placed in the Office of Scientific and Technical Affairs (OSTA) in the Market Access and Bilateral Issues Division (MABID) in the New Technologies and Production Methods or Plant Branch and in the Office of Capacity Building and Development. Fellows may work on a broad range of subjects, for example, managing the development of U.S. policy and position papers on food, agriculture, rural development, environmental, natural resource and water issues under consideration by international organizations (e.g., the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, or the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture). Trade policy development, and efforts to resolve differences with other nations and promote science-based decision making, particularly relating to animal and plant health and safety might also offer options for Fellows.

Fellows might lead liaison efforts with USAID, the Department of State, multilateral development banks, U.S. universities, or other U.S. and international organizations to facilitate cooperation on international food, science, and technology issues. A rapidly expanding area is biotechnology policy and research collaboration. Fellows might help promote understanding and cooperation among organizations and countries on this evolving science. Similarly, the environment, water issues, and sustainable development represent areas with potential opportunities for Fellows.

Testimonials of Fellows at FAS

• Jennifer "Vern" Long
  2006-2007 Diplomacy Fellow at the U.S. Department of Agriculture in the Foreign Agricultural Service, Office of Scientific and Technical Affairs
• Katherine Kahn
  2004-2006 Diplomacy Fellow at the U.S. Department of Agriculture in the Foreign Agricultural Service

Web site: www.fas.usda.gov



AAAS Fellows at the Agency for International Development

The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), with field
missions in Africa, Asia, the Near East, Eastern Europe, Latin America,
and the Caribbean, manages U.S. bilateral assistance to developing
countries. USAID seeks to promote broadly-based sustainable development.

In addition to supporting the activities of USAID missions,
Washington-based staff are responsible for the administration of science
and technology efforts of worldwide applicability, for the management of
specialized regional and multi-regional projects, and for policy and
program coordination. Diplomacy Fellows will work in technical offices
at USAID in Washington, DC. The fellowship involves overseas travel to
work for limited periods in the field.

Typically, the technical staff with whom Fellows work are involved in
the planning, review, monitoring or evaluation of development assistance
programs. Fellows have an opportunity to advise and be involved in
virtually all aspects of this process and should expect to bring their
scientific training to bear broadly on development issues and
activities.

Fellows' assignments relate to sustainable development, with an emphasis
on economic growth, the environment, climate change, health, population,
democratization, food security, humanitarian assistance and education.
Recent placements have included working in the Bureau for Economic
Growth, Agriculture and Trade (EGAT) in the Office of Environment and
Science Policy-Global Climate Change Team or International Research and
Biotechnology Team, the Office of Agriculture, the Office of Natural
Resources Management-Biodiversity and Forestry Team, in the Asia Bureau
in the Office of Strategy and Planning, or in the Bureau for Global
Health (GH) in the Office of Health, Infectious Diseases and Nutrition.

Testimonials of Fellows at USAID

• Cheryl Wojciechowski
  2006-2008 Diplomacy Fellow at the U.S. Agency for International Development in the Bureau for Economic Growth, Agriculture, and Trade
• Karen Carney
  2005-2007 Diplomacy Fellow at the U.S. Agency for International Development
• Patrick Smith
  2004-2006 Diplomacy Fellow at the U.S. Agency for International Development in the Bureau for Economic Growth, Agriculture, and Trade, Office of Natural Resources Management
• Sharon P. Murray
  1999-2001 Diplomacy Fellow at the U.S. Agency for International Development in the Bureau of Global Programs
• Christy Johnson
  2000-02 Diplomacy Fellow at the U.S. Agency for International Development in the Bureau for Latin America and the Caribbean
  1999-2000 AAAS Congressional Fellow in the Office of Sen. Joseph I. Lieberman (D-CT)
  

Web site: www.usaid.gov



AAAS Fellows at the Department of State

AAAS Fellows at the State Department will serve in one of the Department's functional or regional bureaus that have responsibility for defining and implementing the foreign policies of the United States. Opportunities vary widely across a broad range of subjects and areas, depending on the office in which the Fellow chooses to work.

Fellows will gain insight into the role of science, technology and engineering in the overall development and execution of U.S. policy, and will interact with many other agencies of the U.S. government, as well as representatives of other countries. Fellows may be involved in coordinating positions with other U.S. government agencies concerning the negotiation of multilateral treaties, or may join a team negotiating an international agreement. International travel may be required. Fellows may respond to queries or suggestions from U.S. embassies abroad and foreign embassies in the U.S., as well as from Congress and the White House, particularly the Office of Science and Technology Policy.

Fellows may serve in functional bureaus such as the Bureau of Oceans and International Environmental and Scientific Affairs; the Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor; the Bureau of Economic and Business Affairs; and the four bureaus which report to the Under Secretary for Arms Control and International Security Affairs where science, technology and engineering expertise is vital to the operational missions of their offices. In addition, Fellows are often assigned to the six regional bureaus of the State Department, which include the Bureau of African Affairs, the Bureau of European and Eurasian Affairs, the Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs, the Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs, the Bureau of South Asian Affairs, and the Bureau of Western Hemisphere Affairs. These are challenging and valuable assignments in offices where science and engineering expertise is traditionally less common, but growing rapidly in the critical issues they must manage with foreign collaborators and with and through our embassies and missions. Finally, two positions will be available in the office of the Science and Technology Adviser to the Secretary of State and the USAID Administrator, which leads strategic efforts to increase S&T capacities in the State Department and USAID broadly, offers scientific advice and insights to the Secretary and other high-level officials, and champions the use of science diplomacy as an instrument of smart power and engagement.

Testimonials of Fellows at the State Department

• Kohl Gill
  2008-2009 Diplomacy Fellow at the U.S. Department of State in the Office of International Labor and Corporate Social Responsibility
  2006-2008 Energy, Environment, Agriculture and Natural Resources Fellow at the U.S. Department of Energy in the Office of Science
• Julie Chalfin
  2006-2007 Diplomacy Fellow at the U.S. Department of State in the Bureau of African Affairs in the Office of Regional and Security Affairs
  2005-2006 Diplomacy Fellow at the U.S. Department of State in the Office of the Coordinator for Reconstruction and Stabilization, Early Warning and Prevention Division
• Alex Deghan
  2004-2005 Diplomacy Fellow at the U.S. Department of State in the Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs, Office of Regional Affairs
  Collaborated with other fellows in the Collaborative Biological Research Program and the Iraqi Virtual Science Library
• Marsha Goldberg
  2004-2006 Diplomacy Fellow at the U.S. Department of State
  Collaborated with Fernando Echavarria, a 1997-1999 Diplomacy Fellow at the U.S. Department of State to convene the GIS & Middle East Urban Development Conference
• Ranjiv Khush
  2004-2005 Diplomacy Fellow at the U.S. Department of State in the Office of the Science and Technology Advisor
  Collaborated with another fellow to start The Aquaya Institute. To learn more about the Aquaya Institute, click here.
• Matthew Schmolesky
  2004-2006 Diplomacy Fellow at the U.S. Department of State in the Office of International Religious Freedom, Office of the Science and Technology Advisor to the Secretary
• Pablo Valdez
  2003-04 Diplomacy Fellow at the U.S. Department of State in the Office of Global Change
  
• Winston Yu
  2003-2005 Diplomacy Fellow at the U.S. Department of State in the Bureau of Oceans and International Environmental and Scientific Affairs; Office of Regional Policy Coordination and Initiatives
• Fredrika Moser
  1999-2001 Diplomacy Fellow at the U.S. Department of State in the Office of Ocean Affairs

Web site: www.state.gov
State Department Organizational Chart



AAAS Fellowships at the National Oceanic Atmospheric Association

NOAA's mission is to understand and predict changes in the Earth’s environment and conserve and manage coastal and marine resources to meet our Nation’s economic, social, and environmental needs. NOAA has a commitment to scientific excellence and looks to the AAAS Fellows program to infuse the agency with new perspectives and approaches to bringing science to the interface of management and policy. AAAS Fellows hosted within NOAA could expect to work at the science/policy interface in any of a broad range of contemporary issues including global climate change, living marine resource stewardship, integrated ocean monitoring, and ocean and coastal management.

• Climate Program Office
  NOAA's Climate Program Office manages climate activities across NOAA, including many of NOAA's climate-related contributions to the US Climate Change Science Program. NOAA's mission goal in climate is to understand climate variability and change and enhance society's ability to plan and respond.

The AAAS fellow will help to develop and enhance relationships with other federal agencies using a sector-based approach (i.e., health, agriculture, transportation, energy, etc.) to identify climate related needs and opportunities for collaboration. The sector will be chosen based on the needs of the office and the Fellow’s interest. The Fellow will devote most of his/her attention to issues related to the impacts of climate change and methods for adaptation and some of his/her time on advancing the concept of a National Climate Service.

Web site: www.noaa.gov




AAAS Fellows at the National Science Foundation

The National Science Foundation's (NSF) broad mandate authorizes it to engage in a wide range of activities relating to research and education in science, engineering and technology. Fellows will be placed in offices within NSF that will expose them to the agency's role in the policy process. While the fellowships are primarily a learning experience, NSF values the technical expertise provided by the Fellows.

Fellows may work on programs that foster an interchange of scientific information; support the development and use of scientific methods and technologies; evaluate the status and needs of the various disciplines of science and fields of engineering; collect, interpret and analyze data; analyze federal funding for basic and applied research; initiate and support activities relating to international cooperation and national security; and recommend national policies for the promotion of basic research and education in the sciences and engineering.

In the past, Fellows have been involved in the development of new funding programs (e.g., Cognitive Neuroscience, Public Understanding of Research); efforts to increase the participation of women, underrepresented minorities and persons with disabilities in science and technology; and communication of the Foundation's programs, policies and activities to Congress, state and local governments, other federal agencies, the research and education communities, and the general public.

Fellows may choose to work in any one of several offices within NSF. Below are summaries of agencies and offices where past Fellows have served.

• The Office of the Director (OD) houses the Foundation's top leadership, and oversees all Foundation activities from the development of policy priorities to the establishment of administrative and management guidelines, including long-range planning.
  • The Office of International Science and Engineering (OISE) promotes the development of an integrated, Foundation-wide international strategy, and manages international programs that are innovative, catalytic, and responsive to a broad range of NSF interests.
  • The Office of Legislative and Public Affairs (OLPA) communicates information about the activities, programs, research results and policies of the National Science Foundation.
  • The Office of Polar Programs (OPP) manages and initiates National Science Foundation funding for basic research and its operational support in the Arctic and the Antarctic.
    
    
• The Directorate for Biological Sciences (BIO) provides support for research to advance understanding of the underlying principles and mechanisms governing life.
  
  • The Division of Integrative Organismal Biology (IOB) supports research aimed at integrative understanding of organisms as units of biological organization, with particular emphasis on their development, form, function, and evolution.
    
    
• The Directorate for Computer and Information Sciences & Engineering (CISE) supports investigator initiated research in all areas of computer and information science and engineering, helps develop and maintain cutting-edge national computing and information infrastructure for research and education generally, and contributes to the education and training of the next generation of computer scientists and engineers.
  
  
• The Directorate for Education and Human Resources (EHR) mission is to achieve excellence in U.S. science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) education at all levels and in all settings (both formal and informal) in order to support the development of a diverse and well-prepared workforce of scientists, technicians, engineers, mathematicians and educators and a well-informed citizenry that have access to the ideas and tools of science and engineering.
  • The Division of Elementary, Secondary & Informal Education (ESIE) supports the National Science Foundation's mission of providing leadership and promoting development of the infrastructure and resources needed to improve preK-12 STEM education throughout the United States.
  • The Division of Graduate Education (DGE) leads the National Science Foundation's efforts to attract the most talented US students into graduate studies, and to support them in their quest to become the leading scientists and engineers of the future.
    
    
• The Directorate for Engineering (ENG)
  • The Division of Engineering Education & Centers (EEC) encourages the integration of engineering research and education to accelerate technological and educational innovation and improve the quality and diversity of engineering graduates entering the technical workforce.
    
    
• The Directorate for Geosciences (GEO) mission is to support research in the atmospheric, earth, and ocean sciences. GEO addresses the nation's need to understand, predict, and respond to environmental events and changes to use Earth's resources wisely.
  
  
• Directorate for Mathematical and Physical Sciences (MPS)
  • The Division of Astronomical Sciences (AST) mission is to help ensure the scientific excellence of the U.S. astronomical community by supporting forefront research in ground-based astronomy and the development of new instrumentation and key facilities.
    
    
• The Directorate for Social, Behavioral and Economic Sciences (SBE) supports the research that underlies such findings, as well as other research that builds fundamental knowledge of human behavior, interaction, and social and economic systems, organizations and institutions.
  • The Division of Behavioral and Cognitive Sciences (BCS) supports research to develop and advance scientific knowledge on human cognition, language, social behavior and culture, as well as research on the interactions between human societies and the physical environment.

Testimonials of Fellows at NSF

• Tammy Bosler
  2006-2008 Fellow at the National Science Foundation in the Directorate for Mathematical and Physical Sciences, Division of Astronomical Sciences
• Melanie Roberts
  2006-2007 Fellow at the National Science Foundation in the Directorate for Social, Behavioral and Economic Sciences
• Stephanie Adams
  2005-2006 Fellow at the National Science Foundation in the Directorate for Engineering, Division of Engineering Education & Centers
• Mande Holford
  2004-2005 Fellow at the National Science Foundation in the Office of International Science and Engineering
• Roberta Hotinski
  2002-2003 Fellow at the National Science Foundation in the Office of Legislative and Public Affairs
  "I had long felt that I was a science heretic…"
• Andrea M. Dietrich
  2001-2002 Fellow at the National Science Foundation in the Office of Legislative and Public Affairs
  
• Deborah H. Olster
  2000-2001 Fellow at the National Science Foundation in the Directorate for Social, Behavioral and Economic Sciences
  
• David Vannier
  2000-2001 Fellow at the National Science Foundation in the Office of Legislative and Public Affairs
  

Web site: www.nsf.gov



AAAS Fellows at the Army Corps of Engineers' Institute for Water Resources

The Institute for Water Resources (IWR) provides the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' with forward-looking insights and analysis of emerging national water resources issues, as well as the capabilities to anticipate changes in water resources conditions. Fellows at IWR may work on water resource policy issues such as analyzing the linkages between water resources development and water resources problems (e.g. drought, floods) and the economies of developing nations. Individuals with a systems engineering, economics or water resources background are especially encouraged to apply.

Testimonials of Fellows at IWR

• Alexey Voinov
  2006-2007 Energy, Environment, Agriculture and Natural Resources Fellow at the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in the Institute for Water Resources

Web site: www.iwr.usace.army.mil


AAAS Fellows at the Department of Agriculture

The Department of Agriculture (USDA) provides leadership on food, agriculture, natural resources, and related issues based on sound public policy, the best available science, and efficient management. USDA is made up of seventeen agencies and twelve departmental offices. The seventeen agencies are responsible for carrying out USDA’s mission, which is broken down into seven areas: Farm and Foreign Agricultural Services; Food, Nutrition and Consumer Services; Food Safety; Marketing and Regulatory Programs; Natural Resources and Environment; Research, Education and Economics; and Rural Development.

Fellows work on a variety of issues at USDA and specific assignments will vary by placement, but could include work on domestic and international aspects of food safety and food security; providing guidance and technical assistance throughout the risk analysis process including during the risk assessment, risk communication, economic analysis and regulatory processes; analyzing proposed USDA regulations; and coordination of risk assessment work across the Agency as well as with other agencies.

Fellows may choose to work in any one of several agencies within USDA. Below are summaries of agencies and offices where past Fellows have served.


• The Agricultural Research Service (ARS) is USDA's principal in-house research agency and works to ensure that Americans have reliable, adequate supplies of high-quality food and other agricultural products. ARS accomplishes its goals through scientific discoveries that help solve problems in crop and livestock production and protection, human nutrition, and the interaction of agriculture and the environment.
  
  
• The Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) provides leadership in ensuring the health and care of animals and plants and is responsible for protecting and promoting U.S. agricultural health, administering the Animal Welfare Act, and carrying out wildlife damage management activities. The agency improves agricultural productivity and competitiveness and contributes to the national economy and the public health.
  
  • Animal Care Emergency Programs helps protect the public through ensuring the safety and well-being of animals during disasters.  Emergency Programs maintains consistency with Animal Care's traditional regulatory role, in that we advocate for animal safety and well-being, thereby improving safety and well-being for people.  Multiple studies report what Hurricane Katrina demonstrated so vividly in 2005 - that pet owners will not evacuate for their pet(s)' benefit.  They stay in harm's way, pull responders into danger, and drain scarce response resources. In accordance with the National Response Framework, we work with FEMA and other State and Federal agencies on pet issues in disasters.  We also develop humane practices for livestock during disasters, and regulate disaster management for facilities covered under Animal Welfare Act. USDA-APHIS Animal Care implements animal welfare standards and achieves compliance through inspection, education, and cooperative efforts.  USDA-APHIS Animal Care maintains and enforces the Animal Welfare Act and the Horse Protection Act.  Headquarters works on policy, delivers training to the general public on the AWA, and supports regional and field staff who inspect regulated communities.
  • Biotechnology Regulatory Services (BRS) protects America's agricultural and natural resources by ensuring the safe development of genetically engineered organisms using a science-based regulatory framework.
  • Plant Protection and Quarantine (PPQ) safeguards agriculture and natural resources from the risks associated with the entry, establishment, or spread of animal and plant pests and noxious weeds to ensure an abundant, high-quality, and varied food supply.
  • Veterinary Services (VS) protects and improves the health, quality, and marketability of our nation's animals, animal products and veterinary biologics by preventing, controlling and/or eliminating animal diseases, and monitoring and promoting animal health and productivity.
    
    
• The Economic Research Service (ERS) is USDA's principal social science research agency. ERS provides economic research and information to inform public and private decision making on economic and policy issues related to agriculture, food, natural resources, and rural America. ERS communicates research results and socioeconomic indicators via briefings, analyses for policymakers and their staffs, market analysis updates, and major reports. ERS research provides not only facts, but also expert economic analysis of many critical issues facing farmers, agribusiness, consumers, and policymakers. ERS expertise helps these stakeholders conduct business, formulate policy, or just learn about agriculture, food, natural resources, and rural America. Most recently, the AAAS Fellow has worked with the Program of Research on the Economics of Invasive Species (PREISM), which conducts intramural research and funds extramural research to support the economic decisionmaking on issues related to invasive species of agricultural significance or other pests that fall under USDA programs. Program themes include international dimensions of invasive species prevention and management; development and application of methods to analyze important invasive species issues; and analysis of economic, institutional, and behavioral factors affecting decisions to prevent or manage invasive species.
  
  
• The Food Safety Inspection Service (FSIS) is the public health agency in the U.S. Department of Agriculture responsible for protecting consumers from foodborne illness and ensuring that the nation's commercial supply of meat, poultry, and egg products is safe, wholesome, and correctly labeled and packaged.
  
  • The Office of Public Health Science (OPHS) provides scientific analysis, advice, data, and recommendations regarding matters involving public health and science that are of concern to FSIS. OPHS is comprised of an interdisciplinary staff of scientists and technical experts that work closely with policy and provide the scientific basis for food safety decisions. Within OPHS is the Risk Assessment Division (RAD). RAD is a multi-disciplinary group of public health scientists and technical professionals dedicated to developing quantitative risk assessments and decision-support models to guide food safety policies related to meat, poultry and egg products. RAD staff are motivated by the application of science to real world national and international public health issues. This team takes professional pride in it role to improve public health through safer food because of its role in USDA. RAD is integral to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s food safety decision-making process and is responsible for guiding issues related to the safety of domestically produced and imported foods, predicting the public health impact of emerging infectious diseases transmitted though the food supply, and developing creative solutions to on-going food safety concerns.

Testimonials of Fellows at USDA

• Gay Miller
  2006-2007 Fellow at the U.S. Department of Agriculture in the Animal and Plant Health Division
• Fred Boadu
  2005-2006 Fellow at the U.S. Department of Agriculture; Food Safety Inspection Service in the Office of Policy, Program, and Employee Development
• Andrew Roberts
  2005-2007 Fellow at the U.S. Department of Agriculture in the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, Office of Biotechnology Regulatory Services
• Mary Fox
  2002-2003 Fellow at the U.S. Department of Agriculture in the Office of Risk Assessment and Cost-Benefit Analysis
  
• Bruce Hope
  2000-2001 Fellow at the U.S. Department of Agriculture in the Food Safety Inspection Service
• Jennifer Kuzma
  1997-1998 Fellow at the U.S. Department of Agriculture in the Office of Risk Assessment and Cost Benefit Analysis

Web site: www.usda.gov



AAAS Fellows at the Department of Energy

The Department of Energy's (DOE's) overarching mission is to discover the solutions to power and secure America’s future. DOE strives to accomplish this by promoting energy security through reliable, clean, and affordable energy technologies; strengthening U.S. scientific discovery, economic competitiveness, and improving quality of life through innovations in science and technology; ensuring America’s nuclear security; ensuring the environmental cleanup of the national nuclear weapons complex; and enabling the mission through sound management. Working alongside program managers, program analysts, and senior management officials, Fellows will participate in key activities and shape science and technology policy in support of the DOE mission and national goals.

DOE delivers on its mission through support of cutting-edge scientific research, technology development, and technology demonstration and deployment. These activities are executed primarily through DOE’s basic research programs within the Office of Science, DOE’s seven applied technology program offices, and the National Nuclear Security Administration. Four of the seven applied technology program offices are the Office of Electricity Delivery and Energy Reliability; the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy; the Office of Fossil Energy; and the Office of Nuclear Energy. Relatively new to the AAAS Science and Technology Policy Fellowship Program, only two of DOE’s program offices have previously hosted Fellows thus far: The Office of Science and The Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy. However, opportunities are available for Fellows in program offices throughout DOE.

• Office of Science
  The research programs and the scientific tools and facilities that are supported by the Office of Science collectively undertake major scientific and technological challenges of great scale and with great impact on science and society. The Office of Science draws upon the scientific and technical expertise of investigators from more than 300 academic institutions and from all of the DOE laboratories to pursue these efforts. Science of great scale means developing the solutions to a sustainable energy future. Today the research supported by the Office of Science touches virtually every aspect of energy resources, production, conversion, transmission, storage, efficiency, and waste mitigation. Solutions to our energy challenges will require transformational advances in both science and technology. Achieving these advances will require a sustained commitment to large-scale, multidisciplinary research efforts.
  
  The Office of Science supports large-scale research programs in high energy and nuclear physics, plasma physics and magnetic fusion energy sciences, condensed matter and materials physics, chemistry, biology, environmental sciences, applied mathematics, and computational science. These programs advance the science that underpins the challenges of our energy future, including our ability to predict and mitigate the environmental consequences associated our energy choices. The Office of Science also provides the nation’s researchers with state-of-the-art user facilities, the large machines of modern science. These facilities offer capabilities that are unmatched anywhere in the world and enable U.S. researchers and industries to remain at the forefront of science and technology. The Office of Science provides over 40% of the Federal funding in the physical sciences, supporting over 21,000 faculty, postdoctoral researchers, graduate students, undergraduates, and technical staff at universities, DOE national laboratories, and private institutions. It is responsible for 10 of the 17 DOE national laboratories. The scientific user facilities operated by the Office of Science are used by over 20,000 researchers annually.
  
  Fellows may choose to work in one of the six research program offices where their technical expertise will be valuable in managing research portfolios and advising on program policies, engaging in interagency cooperation and planning, and working with the scientific communities to identify new opportunities and develop new research initiatives. Opportunities are also available for Fellows within offices of the Office of Science’s senior management or within the Office of Workforce Development for Teachers and Scientists. Office of Science Program Offices:
  
  
  • The Advanced Scientific Computing Research Program has as its mission to discover, develop, and deploy the computational and networking tools that enable researchers in the scientific disciplines to analyze, model, simulate, and predict complex phenomena important to the Department of Energy
  • The Basic Energy Sciences Program has as its mission to support fundamental research to understand, predict, and ultimately control matter and energy at the electronic, atomic, and molecular levels in order to provide the foundations for new energy technologies and to support other aspects of DOE missions in energy, environment, and national security.
  • The Biological and Environmental Research Program mission is to understand complex biological, climatic, and environmental systems across spatial and temporal scales ranging from sub-micron to the global, from individual molecules to ecosystems, and from nanoseconds to millennia.
  • The Fusion Energy Sciences Program mission is to expand the fundamental understanding of matter at very high temperatures and densities and the scientific foundations needed to develop a fusion energy source.
  • The High Energy Physics Program mission is to understand how our universe works at its most fundamental level. This is accomplished by discovering the most elementary constituents of matter and energy, probing the interactions between them, and exploring the basic nature of space and time itself.
  • The Nuclear Physics Program mission is to discover, explore, and understand all forms of nuclear matter. The fundamental particles that compose nuclear matter—quarks and gluons—are relatively well understood, but how they combine to create different types of matter in the universe is still largely a puzzle


• DOE’s Applied Technology Offices:
  The Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy works to strengthen the United States' energy security, environmental quality, and economic vitality in public-private partnerships through:
  
  
  • Enhancing energy efficiency and productivity;
  • Bringing clean, reliable and affordable energy technologies to the marketplace; and
  • Making a difference in the everyday lives of Americans by enhancing their energy choices and their quality of life.
    

The Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy is organized into 10 energy technology programs:

• Biomass Program
• Building Technologies Program
  
• Solar Energy Technologies Program
  
• Vehicle Technologies Program
  
• Wind & Hydropower Technologies Program
  
• Geothermal Technologies Program
  
• Hydrogen, Fuel Cells & Infrastructure Technologies Program
  
• Industrial Technologies Program
  
• Federal Energy Management Program
  
• Weatherization & Intergovernmental Program
  

Other opportunities may be available in the DOE Office of Fossil Energy, the Office of Nuclear Energy, and the Office of Electricity Delivery and Reliability.


• National Nuclear Security Administration:
  The National Nuclear Security Administration is a separately organized agency within the Department of Energy responsible for the management and security of the nation’s nuclear weapons, nuclear nonproliferation, and naval reactor programs. It also responds to nuclear and radiological emergencies in the United States and abroad. Current opportunities for Fellows include the Office of Nonproliferation and International Security within Nuclear Nonproliferation.

Testimonials of Fellows at DOE

• Kohl Gill
  2008-2009 Diplomacy Fellow at the U.S. Department of State in the Office of International Labor and Corporate Social Responsibility
  2006-2008 Fellow at the U.S. Department of Energy in the Office of Science

Web site: www.energy.gov and www.sc.doe.gov



AAAS Fellows at the Environmental Protection Agency

The mission of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is to protect human health and to safeguard the natural environment - air, water and land - upon which life depends. EPA leads the nation's environmental science, research, education and assessment efforts by developing and enforcing regulations; providing financial assistance through research grants and graduate fellowships, and supporting environmental education projects and services; performing environmental research at EPA laboratories located throughout the nation; and sponsoring voluntary partnerships and programs.

EPA's interests and jurisdictions are wide ranging. Fellows may seek a placement in any of the EPA offices that are physically located in Washington, D.C. They may propose or negotiate projects that address any environmentally relevant issue that is within the jurisdiction of EPA.

In a given year, the potential to be placed in a particular office depends upon current and emerging needs, compatibility between the goals of the applicant and the potential host office, and availability of resources to support a Fellow. Below are summaries of some offices where past Fellows have served.

• The Office of the Administrator (OA) provides executive and logistical support for the EPA Administrator and support and overall supervision for the Agency programs and activities. Fellows have served at the following offices within the OA:
  • Office of Children's Health Protection (OCHP) conducts and oversees a wide variety of activities pertaining to the protection of children’s health.
  • Office of Policy, Economics, and Innovation (OPEI) strives to continuously improve environmental protection systems by: 1) Testing innovative ideas that promise better environmental and public health protection than existing policies; 2) Evaluating innovations to determine their potential for broader application; and 3) Encouraging adoption of successful innovations so their value can be realized on a broader scale. Fellows have served within the office's Evaluation Support Division as well as in the following centers:
    
    • National Center for Environmental Economics (NCEE) analyzes relationships between the economy, environmental health, and environmental pollution control.
    • National Center for Environmental Innovation (NCEI) promotes new ways to achieve better environmental results by focusing on creating a results-oriented regulatory system, promoting environmental stewardship across society, and building capacity for innovative problem solving. Office of Environmental Policy Innovation (OEPI) partners with communities, states, tribes, industry, and other agencies as it works to integrate innovation into all areas of EPA. OEPI provides a gateway for new approaches at EPA and serves to evaluate innovative concepts, encourage the adoption of lessons learned, spearhead customer service efforts, and promote continuous improvement across the Agency.
      
      
• The Office of Air and Radiation (OAR) develops national programs, technical policies, and regulations for controlling air pollution and radiation exposure. OAR is concerned with energy conservation and pollution prevention, indoor and outdoor air quality, industrial air pollution, pollution from vehicles and engines, radon, acid rain, stratospheric ozone depletion, and radiation protection. Fellows have served in these offices:
  
  • Office of Radiation and Indoor Air (ORIA) develops protection criteria, standards, and policies to protect the public and the environment from the risks of radiation and indoor air pollution. ORIA also directs an environmental radiation monitoring program, responds to radiological emergencies, and evaluates and assesses the overall risk and impact of radiation and indoor air pollution.
    
  • Office of Policy Analysis and Review (OPAR) analysts undertake diverse activities to ensure that OAR policies are consistent, effective in protecting health and the environment, and economically efficient. OPAR is structured to be flexible, with the capability of responding quickly and efficiently to the priorities of the Agency and especially the Assistant Administrator of OAR.
    
  • Office of Atmospheric Programs (OAP) programs protect the ozone layer, address climate change, and improve regional air quality through market based programs such as the Acid Rain Program and public/private partnership programs such as ENERGY STAR.
    
  • Office of Transportation and Air Quality (OTAQ)’s mission is to reconcile the transportation sector with the environment by advancing clean fuels and technology, and working to promote more liveable communities. OTAQ is responsible for carrying out laws to control air pollution from motor vehicles, engines, and their fuels.
    
    
• The Office of Prevention, Pesticides and Toxic Substances (OPPT) develops national strategies for toxic substance control and promotes pollution prevention and the public's right to know about chemical risks. Dealing with emerging issues like endocrine disruptors and lead poisoning prevention are top priorities. Fellows have served in several OPPT offices, including:
  
  • Office of Science Coordination and Policy (OSCP) provides coordination, leadership, peer review, and synthesis of science and science policy within the Office of Prevention, Pesticides, and Toxic Substances (OPPTS). OSCP aims to assure sound scientific decisions are made regarding safe pesticide and chemical management through the leadership of the Scientific Advisory Panel as well as coordinating emerging exposure and hazard assessment topics such as endocrine disruptors and biotechnology.
    
  • Design for the Environment Branch (DfE) works in partnership with a broad range of stakeholders to reduce risk to people and the environment by preventing pollution. DfE focuses on industries that combine the potential for chemical risk reduction and improvements in energy efficiency with a strong motivation to make lasting, positive changes using traditional and alternative technologies, materials, and processes.
    
  • Pollution Prevention Division (P2) is reducing or eliminating waste at the source by modifying production processes, promoting the use of non-toxic or less-toxic substances, implementing conservation techniques, and re-using materials rather than putting them into the waste stream.
    
  • Economics, Exposure and Technology Division (EETD) conducts economic analyses as part of OPPT’s decision making process, for example, during strategic planning or priority setting, development of voluntary actions and regulations, and the measurement of results. Economic analyses include market studies, financial feasibility studies, and industry sector studies.
    
  • Risk Assessment Division (RAD) conducts ecological risk assessments to determine what risks are posed by a pesticide and whether changes to the use or proposed use are necessary to protect the environment.
  • Office of Pesticide Programs (OPP) works on a wide range of pesticide issues including evaluating potential new pesticides and uses, providing for special local needs and emergency situations, reviewing safety of older pesticides, registering pesticide producing establishments, and enforcing pesticide requirements.
    
    
• The Office of Research and Development (ORD) is responsible for the research and development needs of the Agency's operating programs and the conduct of an integrated research and development program for the Agency. Fellows have served at the following offices within ORD:
  
  • National Center for Environmental Assessment (NCEA) provides guidance and risk assessments aimed at protecting human health and the environment. This guidance presents critical analyses and summaries of scientific consensus, vetted through a rigorous peer review process, on the risks of pollutants to human health and the natural environment.
    
  • National Center for Environmental Research (NCER) runs competitions for STAR grants, graduate and undergraduate fellowships, research contracts under the Small Business Innovative Research Program, and other extramural research assistance programs.
    
  • National Homeland Security Research Center (NHSRC) develops and delivers reliable, responsive expertise and products based on scientific research and evaluations of technology that are used to prevent, prepare for, and recover from public health and environmental emergencies arising from terrorist threats and incidents.
    
  • Office of Science Advisor (OSA) provides leadership in cross-Agency science and science policy development and implementation to ensure the best possible use of science at the Agency.
  • Office of Science Policy (OSP) integrates and communicates scientific information generated by or for ORD's laboratories and centers, as well as ORD's expert advice on the use of scientific information. EPA and the scientific community at large use this information to ensure that EPA's decisions and environmental policies are informed by sound science.
    
    
• The Office of Solid Waste and Emergency Response (OSWER) provides policy, guidance, and direction for the land disposal of hazardous wastes, underground storage tanks, solid waste management, encouragement of innovative technologies, source reduction of wastes and the Superfund Program. (NOTE: Fellows cannot currently serve in certain positions that deal specifically and exclusively with hazardous substance remediation, including Superfund-related activities). Fellows have served at the following office:
  • Technology Innovation Program (TIP) advocates more effective, less costly approaches by government and industry to assess and clean up contaminated waste sites, soil, and groundwater. TIP provides robust technology and market information and works to remove policy and institutional impediments related to the deployment of these technologies.
    
    
• The Office of Water (OW) is responsible for the Agency's water quality activities including development of national programs, technical policies, and regulations relating to drinking water, water quality, ground water, pollution source standards, and the protection of wetlands, marine, and estuarine areas. Some offices where Fellows have recently served include:
  
  • American Indian Environmental Office (AIEO) coordinates the Agency-wide effort to strengthen public health and environmental protection in Indian country, with a special emphasis on helping tribes administer their own environmental programs.
    
  • Office of Science and Technology (OST) applies and sponsors water research helps other EPA programs, states and tribes to protect their drinking water supplies and minimize the effects of pollutants on fish, wildlife, and the aquatic environment. Federal, state, tribal and local governments use this information to set limits on pollutants that may be discharged into rivers, lakes, and streams.
    
  • Office of Wetlands, Oceans and Watersheds (OWOW) promotes a watershed approach to manage, protect, and restore the water resources and aquatic ecosystems of our marine and fresh waters.
  • Office of Groundwater and Drinking Water (OGWDW) ensures safe drinking water and protects ground water by overseeing the implementation of the Safe Drinking Water Act, which is the national law safeguarding tap water in America.
    

Testimoinails of Fellows at the EPA

• Garrick Louis
  2006-2007 Fellow at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency in the National Center for Environmental Research
• Michael Smith
  2006-2007 Fellow at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency in the Office of Water
• Christina Kakoyannis
  2005-2007 Fellow at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency in the Office of Environmental Policy Innovation, Evaluation Support Division
• Jeff Albert
  2004-2005 Fellow at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
  Collaborated with another fellow to start the Aquaya Institute
• Joseph J. Helble
  2004-2005 Revelle Fellow at the Office of Senator Joe Lieberman (D-CT)
  1993 Fellow at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
• Tammy Barlow Murphy
  2004-2005 Fellow at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency in the Office of Ground Water and Drinking Water
• Stefan Falke
  2000-2002 Fellow at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency in the Environmental Monitoring for Public Access and Community Tracking Program
  
• Donna Riley
  2000-2001 Fellow at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency in the Office of Emergency & Remedial Response, Community Involvement and Outreach Center
• Rafael Olivieri
  1997-1999 Fellow at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency in the Office of Water
• Susan L. Bassow
  1996-1998 Fellow at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency in the Office of Science and Technology Policy; Executive Office of the President

Web site: www.epa.gov




AAAS Fellows at the Forest Service

Established in 1905, the U.S. Forest Service is an agency in the Department of Agriculture. The Forest Service manages public lands in national forests and grasslands encompassing 193 million acres. The agency has a large natural resources research organization and also has programs assisting state, urban and private forest managers.

AAAS Fellows will work with the Policy Analysis Staff, which is part of the R&D Deputy Area in the Washington, DC, headquarters. The staff provides rapid synthesis, advice, and guidance to Forest Service Chief, Associate Chief, and R&D Deputy Chief on a broad range of topics affecting Forest Service policies and programs.

Fellows with the Policy Analysis Staff will have an excellent opportunity to work on high-priority natural resource issues through a variety of synthesis studies. Available topics of study include climate change, markets for ecosystem services, ecological footprint, working private forests, water issues, and connecting youth with the outdoors. Specific work assignments will depend on the skills and interests of the fellow.

Individuals who possess a background in the biological and social sciences, natural resources policy, or any quantitative field of study are encouraged to apply.

Testimonials of Fellows at the FS

• Josh Trapani
  2006-2008 Fellow at the U.S. Department of Agriculture; Forest Service; Office of Research and Development
  2005-2006 AGU Congressional Fellow in the Office of Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-CA)

Web site: www.fs.fed.us



AAAS Fellows at the National Institutes of Health

The National Institutes of Health is the steward of medical and behavioral research for the Nation. Its mission is science in pursuit of fundamental knowledge about the nature and behavior of living systems and the application of that knowledge to extend healthy life and reduce the burdens of illness and disability. As the world's premier medical research organization, the NIH includes 27 separate health institutes and centers, and supports over 37,000 research projects nationwide in diseases including cancer, Alzheimer's, diabetes, arthritis, heart ailments and AIDS.

For additional information about NIH, visit http://www.nih.gov

The AAAS Fellowships at NIH are established to enhance scientific and technical policy expertise in medical research policy issues, and depending upon the issues and opportunities addressed by NIH during the period of the fellowship, participants may be involved in some of the following activities:

• Collect and analyze scientific and technical information pertinent to the preparation of reports and other documents regarding a broad range of NIH research policy and planning issues;
• Participate in the evaluation of scientific opportunities, funding implications, and impact of federal policies on the conduct of biomedical research;
• Initiate scholarly activities and coordinate analytic approaches to evaluate and interpret the economic impact and biomedical impact on public health and society;
• Participate in activities that consider and advance safeguards of research on human subjects;
• Coordinate and organize planning and policy activities in response to congressional actions and recommendations of external advisors and the NIH leadership;
• Promote policies and planning that enhance the interactions among public and private research sectors with the goal of fostering collaboration and improved efficiency in the transfer of scientific knowledge and technologies to benefit the health of the nation;
• Advise on the development of policies to advance and promote the public awareness of, and interest in, biomedical research and health benefits to society;
  

For additional information about Policy Fellowship Programs at the NIH, visit http://ospp.od.nih.gov/

Placement for AAAS Fellows at the NIH in a particular office depends upon current and emerging needs, and the compatibility, goals, and available resources of sponsoring Institute/Center/Office. Past participating Institutes/Centers and Offices include:


• Office of the Director, NIH
  • Office of Behavioral and Social Sciences Research (OBSSR)
  • Office of Extramural Research (OER)
  • Office of Portfolio Analysis and Strategic Initiatives (OPASI)
  • Office of Research on Women’s Health (ORWH)
  • Office of Science Policy Analysis (OSPA)
• National Cancer Institute (NCI)
  • Division of Cancer Controls and Population Sciences (DCCPS)
  • Office of Biorepositories and Biospecimen Research (OBBR)
  • Office of Cancer Genomics (OCG)
  • Office of Technology and Industrial Relations (OTIR)
• National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI)
• National Institute on Aging (NIA)
• National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA)
• National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID)
• National Institutes of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases (NIAMS)
• National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering (NIBIB)
• National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD)
• National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research (NIDCR)
• National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK)
• National Institute for Drug Abuse (NIDA)
• National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS)
• National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH)
• National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS)

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• Office of the Director, NIH
  The Office of the Director (OD) is the central office at NIH. The OD is responsible for setting policy for NIH and for planning, managing, and coordinating the programs and activities of all the NIH components. Although each institute within the NIH has a separate mission, the NIH Director plays an active role in shaping the agency's research agenda and outlook.
  
  
  • Office of Behavioral and Social Sciences Research (OBSSR)
    The OBSSR provides leadership and direction in the development, refinement, and implementation of a trans-NIH plan to increase the scope of support for behavioral and social sciences research. The office informs and advises the NIH director and other key officials of trends and developments that have significant bearing on the missions of the NIH, DHHS, and other federal agencies. Additionally, they serve as the principal NIH spokesperson on the importance of behavioral, and social research; lifestyle factors in the causation, treatment, and prevention of diseases; and advising and consulting on these topics with NIH scientists and others within and outside the federal government.
    
    
  • Office of Extramural Research (OER)
    The OER serves as the focal point for policies and guidelines for extramural research grants administration. This office has the primary responsibility for the development and implementation of NIH Grants Policy, monitoring of compliance with PHS policy on Humane Use and Care of Laboratory Animals, coordination of program guidelines, and development and maintenance of the information systems for grants administration. The OER also coordinates communications with the extramural communities, and is responsible for the development and implementation of the electronic system for conducting NIH grants business.
    
    
  • Office of Portfolio Analysis and Strategic Initiatives (OPASI)
    The OPASI provides the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and its constituent Institutes and Centers (ICs) with the methods and information necessary to manage their large and complex scientific portfolios, identifies – in concert with multiple other inputs – important areas of emerging scientific opportunities or rising public health challenges, and assists in the acceleration of investments in these areas, focusing on those involving multiple ICs.
    
    
  • Office of Research on Women's Health (ORWH)
    The ORWH serves as a focal point for women's health research funded by the NIH, and ensures that women are appropriately represented in biomedical and biobehavior research and studies supported by NIH. Working in partnership with the NIH institutes and centers, ORWH ensures that women's health research is part of the scientific framework at NIH and throughout the scientific community.
    
    
  • Office of Science Policy, Office of Science Policy Analysis (OSPA)
    The OSPA serves as the principal resource for science policy, analysis, and development at NIH on issues of significance to the agency and the medical research community. The OSPA addresses many cross-cutting science policy issues and drafts the agency approach and position on these issues. As the principal staff resource in the Office of the Director, NIH, OSPA identifies and reports on agency research opportunities and accomplishments; conducts economic analyses of key programs and policy issues anticipated to be relevant to emerging planning needs of NIH. Two of these key programs are the Public Private Partnership Program, and the NIH Nanotechnology Task Force.
    
    
• National Cancer Institute (NCI)
  Congress established NCI in 1937, and intensified its programs in 1971 after passage of new legislation called the National Cancer Act. As a result of this 1971 legislation, the NCI built a network that includes regional and community cancer centers, physicians who are cancer specialists, cooperative groups of clinical researchers, and volunteer and community outreach groups. The NCI coordinates the National Cancer Program, which conducts and supports research, training, health information dissemination, and other programs with respect to the cause, diagnosis, prevention, and treatment of cancer, rehabilitation from cancer, and the continuing care of cancer patients and the families of cancer patients. NCI also has initiated cancer control programs to hasten the application of knowledge gained through cancer research.
  
  
  • Division of Cancer Controls and Population Sciences (DCCPS)
    The DCCPS targets the reduction of the risk, incidence, and deaths from cancer, as well as enhance the quality of life for cancer survivors, and conducts and supports an integrated program of the highest quality of genetic, epidemiologic, behavioral, social, and surveillance cancer research.
    
    
  • Office of Biorepositories and Biospecimen Research (OBBR)
    The NCI Office of Biorepositories and Biospecimen Research is a newly established in office (2005) with the NCI designed to help fill the critical role that biospecimens play in cancer research. The OBBR is responsible for developing a common biorepository infrastructure that promotes resource sharing and team science, in order to facilitate multi-institutional, high throughput genomic and proteomic studies.
    
    
  • Office of Cancer Genomics (OCG)
    The mission of the NCI’s Office of Cancer Genomics is to enhance understanding of the molecular mechanisms of cancer, with the ultimate goal of improving the prevention, early detection, diagnosis, and treatment of cancer.
    
    
  • Office of Technology and Industrial Relations (OTIR)
    The OTIR is committed to accelerating the progress of cancer research through its technology-driven initiatives, collaboration with other government programs, and engagement with the private sector in the areas of nanotechnology, proteomics, cancer genomics, and Biospecimen resources.
    
    
• National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI)
  The NHLBI provides leadership for a national program in diseases of the heart, blood vessels, lung, and blood; blood resources; and sleep disorders. The Institute plans, conducts, fosters, and supports an integrated and coordinated program of basic research, clinical investigations and trials, observational studies, and demonstration and education projects. Research at NHLBI relates to the causes, prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of heart, blood vessel, lung, and blood diseases; and sleep disorders. The NHLBI also plans and directs research in development and evaluation of interventions and devices related to prevention, treatment, and rehabilitation of patients suffering from such diseases and disorders, and supports research on clinical use of blood and all aspects of the management of blood resources. Since October 1997, the NHLBI has also had administrative responsibility for the NIH Woman's Health Initiative.
  
  
• National Institute on Aging (NIA)
  The NIA leads a broad scientific effort to understand the nature of aging and to extend the healthy, active years of life. In 1974, Congress granted authority to form NIA to provide leadership in aging research, training, health information dissemination, and other programs relevant to aging and older people. Subsequent amendments to this legislation designated the NIA as the primary Federal agency on Alzheimer’s disease research.
  
  
• National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA)
  Twenty-five years ago, Congress passed the Comprehensive Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism Prevention, Treatment, and Rehabilitation Act of 1970 (more commonly know as the "Hughes Act") for the pivotal role played by Senator Harold E. Hughes in its passage. This law recognized alcohol abuse and alcoholism as major public health problems and created the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism to combat alcohol abuse and alcoholism. Today, in order to support and promote the best science on alcohol and health, NIAAA works towards increasing the understanding of normal and abnormal biological functions and behavior relating to alcohol use, improving the diagnosis, prevention, and treatment of alcohol use disorders, and enhancing quality health care for everyone.
  
  
• National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID)
  The NIAID conducts and supports basic and applied research to understand, treat, and ultimately prevent infectious, immunologic, and allergic diseases. For more than 50 years, NIAID research has led to new therapies, vaccines, diagnostic tests, and other technologies that have improved the health of millions of people in the United States and around the world. Generally, funding programs for NIAID fall into three succinct areas of HIV/AIDS, biodefense, and infectious and immunologic diseases.
  
  
• National Institutes of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases (NIAMS)
  The National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases supports research into the causes, treatment, and prevention of arthritis and musculoskeletal and skin diseases, the training of basic and clinical scientists to carry out this research, and the dissemination of information on research progress in these diseases. These diseases affect people of all ages, racial and ethnic populations, and economic strata. Many of the diseases affect women and minorities disproportionately, and, in many cases, they also suffer worse outcomes. The NIAMS is committed to uncovering the bases of these gender, racial, and ethnic disparities and devising effective strategies to treat them.
  
  
• National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering (NIBIB)
  The NIBIB is devoted to merging the physical and biological sciences to develop new technologies that improve health. Their goal is to accelerate the pace of discovery and speed the development of biomedical technologies that prevent illnesses or treat them when they do strike. They are not limited to a single disease or group of illnesses, but rather spans the entire spectrum, and works with doctors from every field of medicine bringing together teams of scientists and engineers from many different backgrounds to develop innovative approaches to health care.
  
  
• National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD)
  Initially established to investigate the broad aspects of human development to understand developmental disabilities, including mental retardation, and the events that occur during pregnancy, today, the NICHD conducts and supports research on all stages of human development from preconception to adulthood. These efforts help to better understand the health of children, adults, families, and communities, while ensuring the mission of the NICHD that every person is born healthy and wanted, that women suffer no harmful effects from reproductive processes, and that all children have the chance to achieve their full potential for healthy and productive lives, free from disease or disability, and to ensure the health, productivity, independence, and well-being of all people through optimal rehabilitation.
  
  
• National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research (NIDCR)
  The National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research is charged with improving oral, dental and craniofacial health through research, research training, and the dissemination of health information. They accomplish this through performing and supporting basic and clinical research; conducting and funding research training and career development programs to ensure an adequate number of talented, well-prepared and diverse investigators; coordinating and assisting relevant research and research-related activities among all sectors of the research community; and promoting the timely transfer of knowledge gained from research and its implications for health to the public, health professionals, researchers, and policy-makers.
  
  
• National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK)
  The National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases supports much of the clinical research on the diseases of internal medicine and related subspecialty fields as well as many basic science disciplines. Through its intramural programs, NIDDK encompasses a broad spectrum of metabolic diseases such as diabetes, obesity, inborn errors of metabolism, endocrine disorders, mineral metabolism, digestive and liver diseases, nutrition, urology and renal disease, and hematology. Basic research studies include biochemistry, biophysics, nutrition, pathology, histochemistry, bioorganic chemistry, physical chemistry, chemical and molecular biology, and pharmacology.
  
  
• National Institute for Drug Abuse (NIDA)
  The National Institute for Drug Abuse is charged with leading the Nation in bringing the power of science to bear on drug abuse and addiction. This charge has two critical components. The first is strategic support and conduct of research across a broad range of disciplines. The second is ensuring the rapid and effective dissemination and use of the results of that research to improve significantly the prevention, treatment, and policy as it relates to drug abuse and addiction.
  
  
• National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS)
  The National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS) primarily supports basic biomedical research that lays the foundation for advances in disease diagnosis, treatment, and prevention. The Institute's training programs help provide the most critical element of good research: well-prepared scientists. The NIGMS includes divisions and a center that support research and research training in basic biomedical science fields. One division has the specific mission of increasing the number of underrepresented minority biomedical and behavioral scientists. The key areas of funded research are the divisions of Cell Biology and Biophysics; Genetics and Development Biology; Pharmacology, Physiology, and Biological Chemistry; and the Center for Bioinformatics and Computational Biology.
  
  
• National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH)
  The NIMH mission is to reduce the burden of mental and behavioral disorders through research on mind, brain, and behavior. Its goal is to generate research that will transform prevention of and recovery from mental disorders. To achieve this, especially in a time of fiscal restraint, NIMH sets strategic priorities for the institute. Identifying priorities and reorganizing internal structure will help exploit the enormous scientific gains that have already been made and help focus on cross-disciplinary collaboration as a means of accomplishing our goals.
  
  
• National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS)
  The National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS) conducts and supports research on brain and nervous system disorders. NINDS supports and conducts both basic and clinical research to understand the normal and abnormal structure and activities of the human nervous system and to reduce the burden of neurological disease. Basic research creates the foundation for diagnosing and treating the brain and related diseases affecting brain and nervous system development, while clinical research at NINDS applies directly to mechanisms of the diseases of the nervous system translated into disease detection, prevention, and treatment. Some examples would be brain imaging techniques, trials to test new drugs, and development of novel therapies such as stem cell implants and gene transfer.

  Testimonials of Fellows at NIH

  • Brad Wible
    2005-2007 Fellow at the National Institutes of Health in the Office of Behavioral and Social Sciences Research
  • Charlene Cho
    2005-2006 Fellow at the National Institutes of Health in the Office of the Director
  • Penny Burgoon
    2004-2006 Fellow at the National Institutes of Health in the Office of the Director, Roadmap Central Coordination Program
  • Holly Campbell-Rosen
    2005-2006 Fellow at the National Institutes of Health in the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke; Office of Science Policy & Planning
    2004-2005 Fellow at the National Institutes of Health in the Office of the Director; Office of Biotechnology Activities
  • Trish Powell
    2001-2003 Fellow at the National Institutes of Health in the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism

  
  
  
  AAAS Fellows at the USDA Food Safety Inspection ServiceThe Food Safety Inspection Service (FSIS) is the public health agency in the U.S. Department of Agriculture responsible for protecting the public from food-borne illness and ensuring that the nation's commercial supply of meat, poultry, and egg products is safe, wholesome, and correctly labeled and packaged.

  • The Office of Public Health Science (OPHS) provides scientific analysis, advice, data, and recommendations regarding matters involving public health and science that are of concern to FSIS.
    
    

  Risk Assessment Division
  This Division is comprised of a multi-disciplinary team of scientists -- epidemiologists, statisticians, engineers, environmental health specialists, ecologists, veterinarians, public health professionals, toxicologists, and economists -- who develop quantitative decision-support tools, including risk assessments, which guide the U.S. Department of Agriculture's food safety decisions. It is the mission of these public health professionals to improve public health through the application of science to public policy issues related to food safety.

  The Division develops and performs quantitative risk assessments of biological/chemical hazards in meat, poultry and egg products in support of the Agency's policy development activities. These risk assessments are used to evaluate intervention strategies to reduce food-borne risks, guide the allocation of inspection resources, prioritize research and data collection initiatives, and enhance the Agency's overall decision-making process. Risk assessment is integral to ensuring Agency policies are linked to public health benefits.

  The Division’s headquarters are in Washington, DC. Staff also is co-located with the Agricultural Research Service in Ft. Collins, CO, and College Station, TX. In addition, there is staff in Alameda, CA, co-located with our laboratory personnel. Locations outside of DC provide strategic cross-collaboration vital to the support of the Division's mission. AAAS Fellows are stationed in DC in order to readily interact with policy personnel.

  Web site: http://www.fsis.usda.gov/
  
  
  AAAS Fellows at the Department of Health and Human Services The U.S. Department of Health & Human Services (HHS) is the United States government's principal agency for protecting the health of all Americans and providing essential human services, especially for those who are least able to help themselves. HHS represents almost a quarter of all federal outlays and it administers more grant dollars than all other federal agencies combined.
  
  • Office of the Secretary, Personalized Health Care Initiative
    Secretary Leavitt has identified Personalized Health Care as one of the top ten areas of emphasis during his administration. Personalized Health Care in the context of this initiative spans the health care sector from research and development, medical product development, health care delivery, and effectiveness and quality of health practices with a focus on consumer needs.
    
    The Initiative is coordinated by a small staff affiliated with the Immediate Office of the Secretary. In assisting the project director, the staff supports development of the initiative, coordinates high level administrative meetings and information sharing among agencies, develops effective communication strategies, and engages public and private sector entities in community-building activities that aim to enhance the delivery of personalized health care.
    
    The Secretary and the project team are currently working on several areas including:
    
    
    • Linking genomic and clinical information to improve the knowledge base of individual differences in health and use this information to improve the health care effectiveness and quality.
    • Enabling the incorporation of medical genetic test and family history information into electronic health records, and enhancing the clinical decision support tools to improve medical practice.
    • Harmonizing practices for sharing of information from public databases of genomic information to enhance research and improve health care.
    • Optimizing health outcomes by enhancing the oversight of genetic tests and improvement in quality of information developed from them.
    • Enhancing protections against the misuse of patient’s genetic data.
      Increasing the health literacy about the appropriate use of medical genomic tests and personalized medicine by health care practitioners and consumers.

  Major activities for the fellowship include:
  
  

  • Drafting and developing informational materials regarding programs and policies,
  • Coordination of working group activities,
  • Support of communications efforts across the Department,
  • Serving as a liaison to complementary activities in other federal agencies and offices,
  • Serving as a resource to other HHS activities.
    

  • Office of Preparedness and Emergency Operations
    The Office of Preparedness and Emergency Operations (OPEO) is responsible for developing operational plans, analytical products, and developing and participating in training and exercises to ensure the preparedness of the Office, the Department, the Government and the public to respond to domestic and international public health and medical threats and emergencies. This office:
    
    
    • Manages the Secretary's Operations Center;
      
    • Trains and manages the Incident Response Coordination Team;
      
    • Plans, implements, and evaluates Departmental and interagency response exercises and the HHS Continuity of Operations and Continuity of Government programs;
    • Manages the continued planning for capabilities to meet public health and medical response missions, including development of Federal Medical Stations and other mobile medical units;
    • Works to integrate mass casualty preparedness activities, through its surge capacity efforts, across local, State and Federal levels;
      
    • Coordinates preparedness grant activities across the Department, in collaboration with the Department of Homeland Security;
    • Coordinates with the Centers for Disease Control on public health preparedness issues and consults with the HHS scientific community on the inclusion of newly acquired countermeasures into response plans.
      
      
  • Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
    Working with states and other partners, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) provides a system of health surveillance to monitor and prevent disease outbreaks (including bioterrorism), implement disease prevention strategies, and maintain national health statistics. CDC provides for immunization services, workplace safety, and environmental disease prevention, and also guards against international disease transmission, with personnel stationed in more than 25 foreign countries.

  'Web site: www.hhs.gov/