"Science and statecraft...can and must work together for a safer,
healthier, better world," declared Secretary of State Colin Powell
in an April 30, 2002 address at the annual meeting of the National Academy
of Sciences, but "we still have too few officers with strong science
backgrounds." Through its State Department Science Fellowship program,
AIP seeks to help fill the Department's need for scientific expertise.
AIP is now seeking applicants for the 2005-2006 State Department Fellowship.
Qualified scientists at any stage of their career are encouraged to
apply. Information on applying for the 2005-2006 Fellowship term by
the November 1 (postmarked) deadline is provided below.
Interested readers can also see our web site at http://www.aip.org/gov/sdf.html/
for more information on the program.
The AIP State Department Science Fellowship enables scientists to spend
a year working in a bureau or office of the U.S. Department of State.
The Fellows not only learn about, but become actively involved in, the
foreign policy process, while contributing their scientific and technical
expertise and analytical capabilities to the Department. AIP's Fellowship
program, the first of its kind, was established in 2001, in response
to concerns within the scientific community that, over the last decade,
the State Department's scientific and technical capabilities had declined.
These concerns were forcefully articulated in an October 1999 report
by a National Research Council panel, which declared that scientific
and technological developments "cannot be isolated from the fundamental
workings of foreign policy."
The AIP Fellowship is run under the auspices of the Association for
the Advancement of Science's (AAAS) Science and Technology Policy Fellowships.
While AAAS has for years placed Diplomacy Fellows at the State Department,
to be supported by departmental funds, AIP was the first scientific
society to sponsor Fellows at the State Department with its own funds.
(Currently, the American Astronomical Society also contributes to AIP's
State Department Science Fellowship.) Since 2001, several other scientific
and engineering societies have followed AIP's lead and established their
own fellowships in the State Department.
AIP's 2004-2005 State Department Fellow is Steve Fetter, a professor
at the University of Maryland's School of Public Affairs and Associate
Director of the Joint Global Change Research Institute. Fetter has just
started his term in the Office of the Science and Technology Adviser.
Current and former AIP State Department Science Fellows have worked
in the Bureau of Political-Military Affairs, the Bureau of Economic
and Business Affairs, the Bureau of Information Resource Management,
and the Bureau of Oceans and International Environmental and Scientific
Affairs. Their portfolios have included topics as varied as emerging
S&T issues, European and Russian science policy, the World Summit
on Sustainable Development, critical infrastructure protection, export
control, use of remote sensing imagery, biotechnology and the safety
of agricultural products. AIP's First Fellow at State, George Atkinson,
is now serving as Science and Technology Adviser to Secretary of State
Colin Powell. AIP encourages its Fellows to seek beyond the traditional
roles for scientists in the department when interviewing for an assignment,
to broaden the reach and visibility of scientific expertise within the
Department.
TO APPLY FOR THE 2005-2006 AIP STATE DEPARTMENT FELLOWSHIP:
Applicants must be U.S. citizens, have a PhD in physics or a closely
related field, be members of one or more of AIP's ten Member Societies,
and be eligible to receive an appropriate security clearance prior to
starting the Fellowship. (In exceptional cases the PhD requirement may
be waived for outstanding applicants with equivalent research experience.)
Qualified scientists at any stage of their career will be considered.
Once selected, the Fellow works with the State Department to arrange
an assignment. The following materials should be submitted by mail or
email to be considered for the Fellowship selection:
COVER SHEET, indicating name, address, phone, email, U.S. citizenship,
PhD status, AIP Member Society membership, and names of references.
LETTER OF INTENT, limited to two pages, indicating your reason for
applying, scientific background, foreign policy interest or experience,
and why you think you would be effective in this position.
RESUME, limited to two pages, with no more than 3 to 5 major publications
listed.
THREE LETTERS OF REFERENCE should be submitted by those having direct
knowledge of the applicant's character, competence, and attributes that
would make the candidate suitable for this position.
ALL MATERIALS may be submitted by email or by mail (postmarked
by November 1, 2004) to Audrey T. Leath at:
AIP State Department Science Fellowship
American Institute of Physics
One Physics Ellipse
College Park, MD 20740-3843
Email: aleath@aip.org
Fax: 301-209-0846
Please see our website at http://www.aip.org/gov/sdf.html/
or contact Audrey Leath (aleath@aip.org, 301-209-3094) if you have questions
or need additional information.
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