Are you interested in the interface between science and technology
and international issues? Just as Congress needs input from scientists
as its decisions affect national policy on issues ranging from energy
and climate to export controls and homeland security, so too does the
U.S. Department of State need scientific and technological expertise
as it addresses such issues in the context of the nation's foreign policy.
Through its State Department Science Fellowship program, the American
Institute of Physics offers an opportunity for scientists to make a
unique and substantial contribution to the foreign policy process. Information
on applying to the AIP State Department Science Fellowship for the 2007-2008
Fellowship term BY THE NOVEMBER 1 DEADLINE is provided
below. Interested readers should visit our web site at http://www.aip.org/gov/sdf.html
for more information on the program.
What do AIP Fellows work on during their terms at the State Department?
AIP's outgoing Fellow, Dr. Tegan Blaine, a member of the American Geophysical
Union, spent her Fellowship working on sustainable development and international
water issues. She managed programs in integrated water resources management
in Ethiopia, Indonesia, and El Salvador, and was involved in tsunami
reconstruction efforts in the Maldives. Blaine, who describes her Fellowship
as "an amazing introduction to the world of U.S. foreign affairs,"
will be extending her stay at the State Department as a Presidential
Management Fellow. AIP's incoming 2006-7 State Department Fellow is
Dr. James Dufty, a member of the American Physical Society. During Dufty's
term, he will be responsible for interactions with UNESCO (the United
Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) on natural
and social science issues.
The AIP 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. Current and former AIP State Department
Science Fellows have worked in the Bureaus of Intelligence and Research,
European and Eurasian Affairs, Political-Military Affairs, Economic
and Business Affairs, Information Resource Management, and 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 controls, use of remote sensing
imagery, biotechnology and the safety of agricultural products. AIP's
very first State Department Fellow, George Atkinson, is now the Science
and Technology Adviser to the Secretary of State. AIP does not take
a role in the Fellow's placement, but does encourage 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.
AIP's Fellowship program, the first of its kind, was established in
2001, in response to concerns within the scientific community that the
State Department's scientific and technical capabilities were in decline.
AIP's Fellowship is run under the auspices of the Association for the
Advancement of Science's Science and Technology Policy Fellowships.
Currently, AIP receives an annual contribution from the American Astronomical
Society to help support its State Department Science Fellowship. Since
2001, several other scientific and engineering societies have followed
AIP's lead and established similar fellowships in the State Department.
TO APPLY FOR THE 2007-2008 AIP STATE DEPARTMENT FELLOWSHIP:
AIP is now seeking applicants for the 2007-8 State Department Fellowship.
Qualified scientists at any stage of their career are encouraged to
apply. 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.)
Once selected, the Fellow will work 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, with name, address, phone, email, U.S. citizenship,
PhD status, AIP Member Society membership, and names of references.
Please indicate where you learned about this program.
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, 2006) 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
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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