A new program will help the State Department tap into the scientific
expertise of senior faculty at the nation's universities, while a National
Academies committee is seeking ways to ensure that the best-qualified
candidates are appointed to scientific posts within the federal government
and on federal advisory committees.
JEFFERSON FELLOWSHIP PROGRAM:
Secretary of State Colin Powell took time from a busy schedule on May
26 to talk to members of the scientific, philanthropic, and diplomatic
communities about how scientists and the State Department can work together
for the benefit of the nation and the world. "Just as in the days
of Franklin and Jefferson, American scientists and diplomats share a
common goal today: They both seek to apply the best knowledge we have
to the most significant challenges we face," Powell said at an
event celebrating a new program to bring scientific expertise into the
State Department.
The new Jefferson Science Fellowship program is based upon existing
fellowship programs at the State Department, initiated by the American
Institute of Physics (AIP) and by the American Association for the Advancement
of Science (AAAS). In fact, AIP's first State Department Science Fellow,
George Atkinson, who was named the Science and Technology Advisor to
Secretary Powell after serving his AIP fellowship, was the driving force
behind establishment of the Jefferson Fellowship. This new program,
a partnership between the State Department, U.S. institutions of higher
education, and several philanthropic foundations, will bring tenured
science and engineering faculty members from participating universities
to the State Department. They will join the fellows from AIP, AAAS,
and several other professional science and engineering societies, working
in various bureaus throughout the Department, and contributing their
expertise to the scientific and technological aspects of foreign policy
issues. As Powell remarked, "They will observe and participate
in the day-to-day working of American foreign policy. They'll see how
science and statecraft work together to improve the lives of people
around the world. They'll gain an appreciation for the daily challenges
confronting the men and women of the State Department...[and] take their
experiences with them back into our nation's classrooms and laboratories."
A key element of the Jefferson Fellowship is that fellows, once they
return to their universities, will remain available as consultants to
the Department for several years.
Powell concluded, "I look to our new Jefferson Fellows and to
all the men and women of America's scientific community to help us in
government build a safer, healthier and better world. We have unprecedented
opportunities before us, and, with imagination, with compassion, and
in partnership, we can seize these opportunities."
The various fellowship programs at the State Department provide opportunities
for many in the science community to contribute their know-how to America's
foreign policy. Qualified members of any of the 10 AIP Member Societies
are eligible to apply for the AIP State Department Science Fellowship;
see www.aip.org/gov/sdf.html
for details on the AIP program. Applications will be accepted this fall,
with an application deadline of November 1, for the Fellowship selection
in early 2005.
Readers interested in learning more about the Jefferson Fellowship
should see www.national-academies.org/jsf.
Other professional science and engineering societies sponsoring fellowship
programs at the State Department include:
AAAS:
(http://fellowships.aaas.org/diplomacy/),
IEEE-USA:
(www.ieeeusa.org/forum/GOVFEL/state.html),
and, most recently, ACS:
(www.chemistry.org/portal/a/c/s/1/acsdisplay.html?DOC=government%5cdiplomacy.html).
The full text of Secretary Powell's May 26 speech can be viewed at
www.state.gov/secretary/rm/32864.htm.
ENSURING HIGH-QUALITY FEDERAL S&T APPOINTMENTS:
In another effort to ensure that America's domestic and foreign policies
are informed by high-quality science and qualified scientists, a committee
of the National Academies plans to prepare a report on federal appointments
to S&T-related positions and federal advisory committees. The Academies'
Committee on Ensuring the Best Science and Technology Presidential and
Federal Advisory Committee Appointments is seeking public comments and
suggestions on the appointment process, principles, and barriers to
appointing the most-qualified candidates. For more information, please
see http://www7.nationalacademies.org/presidentialappointments/.
The list of questions on which the committee is seeking comments can
be viewed under "Statement of Task." All responses should
be received by July 1, 2004.
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