Science Legislative Fellow Advisors for State Legislatures

As a science fellow in the California legislature during 2014; in my current work to initiate a science policy fellowship program in Massachusetts; and in working alongside colleagues to bring science fellowships to nine other states, key recurring lessons learned which I will share in this talk are:

1. Science fellows in state legislatures are as valuable for how they think as for what they know.

2. State-level science policy fellowships not only benefit policymakers and policymaking, but powerfully benefit the scientific community and enterprise.

3. Professional rewards and fulfillment are of a different nature for state legislative science fellows than for academic scientists, but are no less rewarding nor fulfilling.

I will draw off my own anecdotes and experiences as a scientist in state legislatures to illustrate these points. I'll also discuss the vast diversity of potential science fellowship program structures and how they may be appropriately matched to the diversity of states, political geography and legislative structures.