AAAS Science & Technology Policy Fellowships

News: Fellows in the News

Read about the AAAS S&T Policy Fellows who are in the news and making headlines. To submit a news item to the Fellows Web site, please contact fellowships@aaas.org.

Current News | News Archives

Gabby Dreyfus published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
Gabrielle Dreyfus, a 2008-2009 Congressional Science & Engineering Fellow and 2009-2010 EEA Fellow, co-authored two publications resulting from work during her Fellowship tenure at NOAA: "Science in support of the Deepwater Horizon Response," and "Applications of Science and Engineering to Quantify and Control the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill." Both articles were highlighted on the cover of the December 2012 issue of Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the USA (PNAS). You can read both articles on the PNAS website.

Cheri Hoffman now a Legislative Director
After serving as acting LD, Cheri Hoffman is now the Legislative Director in Congresswoman Louise Slaughter's (D-NY-28) office. Cheri was a 2010-11 Fellow in Rep. Peter Stark's office.

Alex Dehgan now head of the Office of Science and Technology
The Office of Science and Technology (OST), formerly housed within the Bureau for Policy, Planning, and Learning, is now an independent office. The new office will be led by Dr. Alex Dehgan, 2003-05 Diplomacy Fellow at U.S. Department of State, and a team of current and alumni fellows in his office.

Jim Head Leads workshop on Space Weather
James Head, a 2010-12 Diplomacy, Security & Development fellow at the State Department, convened a workshop on Space Weather Societal Impacts, held on the margins of the 55th Meeting of the United Nations Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space (COPUOS), in Vienna on June 8, 2012. The purpose of this workshop was to focus the attention of space weather experts and member state representatives in the United Nations on the societal impacts of space weather events, with particular attention to the needs of developing nations. The full report can be found in AGU's journal Space Weather. Head was also the recipient of the Superior Honor Award from A/S Jones for his work on space weather.

Daniel Aldrich is a Guest on Radio New Zealand
Daniel Aldrich, a 2011-12 Diplomacy, Security & Development Fellow and current Fulbright scholar at Tokyo University, discussed the waning support for Japan's nuclear program on Radio New Zealand on December 3, 2012. You can listen to the full program on the Radio New Zealand website.

Second Year Fellow Receives Honor
Chris Merchant, a 2011-13 DSD Fellow at the U.S. Department of State in the Bureau of Counterterrorism , Technical Programs Unit, is the recipient of the Superior Honor Award by the State Department's Counterterrorism Bureau for his excellent work on the Counter IED Project.

Fellow at USAID Spearheads New Agency Vision
Emma Delva, a 2011-13 DSD Fellow at the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) in the Office of the Administrator , Office of Gender Equality and Women's Empowerment, has spearheaded a new USAID agency vision for ending child marriage and meeting the needs of married children. This is in conjunction with the recently released U.S. Strategy to Prevent and Respond to Gender-Based Violence Globally. Click here to read the publication.

How the Fellowship Transformed Rafe Sagarin
Rafe Sagarin, 2002-03 AAAS Congressional Science & Engineering Fellow sponsored by GSA in the Office of Rep. Hilda Solis (D-CA), wrote an article on how the AAAS Fellowship transformed his thinking and his career path. The article appears in the September 2012 issue of Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment. The article is available on Rafe's own blog Observation and Ecology.

Fellows at State & USAID Helped Organize Event at Rio+20
In June 2012, Fellows helped organize the only panel discussion focused on women, Women and Natural Resource Management at the Rio+20 United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development in Brazil. Involved in this event were: Gillian Bowser (2011-12 S&T Policy Fellow at U.S. Department of State), Karelyn Cruz (2011-12 S&T Policy Fellow at USAID), Emmanuella Delva (2011-12 S&T Policy Fellow at USAID), and Tania Tam (2010-12 S&T Policy Fellow at USAID). Read more about this event in a Feed the Future newsletter article.

Pascarella Named Dean of the College of Sciences at a Texas University
John B. Pascarella, 2005-06 AAAS S&T Policy Fellow at the National Science Foundation, was named the Dean of the College of Sciences and Professor of Biological Sciences at Sam Houston State University in Huntsville, Texas. This College is the newest college on the University's campus. Click here to read more about his new position.

Davis Promoted to Executive Director at a Nonprofit
Jana Davis, 2004-05 Congressional Science & Engineering Fellow sponsored by the American Geophysical Union, recently became the executive director at the Chesapeake Bay Trust. The Chesapeake Bay Trust is a nonprofit dedicated to making change for the Chesapeake Bay. Click here to learn more about the organization.

Aldrich Awarded Fulbright Research Fellowship
Daniel Aldrich, 2011-12 S&T Policy Fellow at the U.S. Agency for International Development, Bureau for Africa, Office for Sustainable Development, Conflict Prevention & Governance Division, has been awarded a Fulbright Research Fellowship for 2012-13. Aldrich will be a visiting scholar at the University of Tokyo in Tokyo, Japan where he'll carry out research on recovery from the Tohoku disaster. Read more about this on the Purdue University website and the Cornell University Press blog.

Aldrich also wrote an OpEd article on CNN's website on May 24, 2012 on lessons learned from last year's Fukushima meltdown. Click here to read the article.

Bailey is Chosen for the 2012-13 Luce Scholars Class
Aimee Bailey, 2010-12 S&T Policy Fellow at the U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, (EERE), in the Solar Technologies Program, has been awarded a 2012-13 Henry Luce Foundation Scholarship. The program was started in 1974 to enhance the understanding of Asia among potential leaders in American society. Read more about the scholarship here.

Fellow is Recipient of Prestigious Honor
Sofi Bin-Salamon, 2010-12 S&T Policy Fellow at the Department of Defense, Air Force Office of Scientific Research (AFOSR), was presented with a 2-star General coin from Major General William N. McCasland. He was just one of three to be selected for the prestigious coin ceremony.

Colòn Named Deputy Science Advisor to Secretary Clinton
Frances Colòn, 2006-08 Fellow at the US Department of State, was recently named the new deputy science and technology advisory to Secretary of State Hilary Clinton. She has worked at the State Department since the completion of her fellowship where she focuses on western hemisphere science and environment issues. Read more about her new position.

Starger Addressing Climate Change
Craig Starger, 2011-12 Fellow at USAID, and a group from the agency traveled to Fiji in January to explore ways to help Pacific nations adapt to climate change. They held discussions with government officials, scientists, environmentalists, donor agencies, academics, and non- government organizations to identify activities that can help Pacific nations develop clean energy sources, conserve ecosystems, especially coastal mangrove forests, and support communities to achieve climate-resilient development. Click here for more information about the trip.

Ostheimer Receives Award at USDA
Gerry Ostheimer, 2010-12 Fellow at USDA, participated on the Global Bioenergy Partnership team that received the USDA Foreign Agriculture Service Excellence in Achieving Strategic Objectives Award for 2011. Click here to read more.

Fellows Inspire Future Scientists
Exciting science and engineering careers were highlighted for more than 400 young women who took part in the Young Women's Conference on Non-Traditional Careers on 16 March at Gallaudet University in Washington, DC. Fellows Sandra J. Laney, 2010-12 Fellow at the State Department; Tracee W. Gilbert and Charlayne C. Hayling, 2011-12 Fellows at the Department of Health and Human Services; and Marcelo D. Vinces, 2010-12 Fellow at the National Science Foundation spoke with young women and helped them imagine themselves as successful professionals in an array of careers involving science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. Read the AAAS news release.

White House Honors Davis as a Champion of Change
Jana Davis, 2004-05 Congressional Science & Engineering Fellow sponsored by the American Geophysical Union, was honored at the White House in January as a Champion of Change, for her work to promote innovation through the Chesapeake Bay Trust's portfolio of grant programs. Click here to read the full press release.

Alumni Fellows Lead National Nuclear Waste Discussions
Two alumni AAAS Congressional Fellows led the Blue Ribbon Commission on America's Nuclear Future. John Kotek, 2001-02 Fellow, was staff director and Matt Milazzo, 2008-09 Fellow, was deputy staff director of the initiative. The Commission issued its final report to the Secretary of Energy in late January 2012. The report found the most challenging part of nuclear waste management is identifying facility sites that satisfy various levels of government regulation. Click here to read the final report.

Fellow is Recipient of Prestigious Award
Sofi Bin-Salamon, 2010-12 S&T Policy Fellow at the Department of Defense, Air Force Office of Scientific Research (AFOSR), is the recipient of the Civilian of the Year Award. The award is annually given by the Director and senior leadership of AFOSR to an individual who "performed outstanding actions during all of 2011 and exceeded the requirements of their position." Unlike other awards that are given every quarter, only one Civilian of the Year Award is selected every year.

A Chemist at the Intersection of Science and Policy
Stephanie Bumpus, 2010-12 S&T Policy Fellow at the Department of Defense, talks to Chemistry & Engineering News (C&EN) magazine about her experiences as a Fellow and the journey that led her to apply to the Fellowship program. To read the entire article, visit the C&EN website.

Rafe Sagarin Receives Guggenheim Fellowship & Publishes New Book
Rafe Sagarin, 2002-03 Congressional Science & Engineering Fellow sponsored by GSA in the Office of Rep. Hilda Solis (D-CA), is the recipient of the Guggenheim Fellowship and the author of a new book, "Learning from the Octopus: How the Secrets of Nature Can Help Us Fight Terrorism, Natural Disasters and Disease." (Basic Books, April 2, 2012). The book, which is the focus of Sagarin's Guggenheim Fellowship, is a broadly accessible follow up to his previous book, "Natural Security." He has developed a number of new ideas and examples in this current book. The original idea of which emerged from his Fellowship year. Read a press release on his Guggenheim Fellowship and read more about his new book in Stanford Magazine.