Taking a break from teaching to do some hands-on learning, improving my own understanding and taking it back to the classroom
For the past year I have been on sabbatical leave from George Washington University (GWU), completing a yearlong AIP Science State Department Fellowship. This has been a truly amazing experience, and I am eager to convey some of the highlights with the hope that many of you will consider pursuing this opportunity.
During my fellowship at the State Department, I served in the Bureau of International Security and Nonproliferation’s Office of Weapons of Mass Destruction Terrorism (aka ISN/WMDT) on the Nuclear Forensics Team. That's a mouthful, yet briefly, our team serves as diplomatic top cover for United States–International coordination of all matters regarding nuclear forensics globally.
Specifically, I have been taking stock of various countries’ capabilities with respect to nuclear forensics analysis and investigations as a long-term project. Other short-term commitments have included support of the 2016 Nuclear Security Summit as a deputy liaison officer to the European Union, teaching a course on nuclear forensics in Brazil, briefing various interagency partners on sensitive forensics issues, and two amazing trips to the Nevada National Security Site—an enviable array of professional development opportunities afforded by this fellowship.
As a bit of background: In addition to my chemistry course load at GWU, I have been teaching graduate level courses in the Elliott School of International Affairs for the past few years that target nuclear and security policy studies Masters students. These courses aim to develop a modicum of scientific literacy in a demographic that largely has had no substantive scientific training. Considering the career trajectories of our graduates—federal employment, policy professionals, think tanks, and leadership—my colleagues and I think that some modest technical abilities are key for their success, as well as for the effectiveness of the US government in the nuclear arena. Students might be a bit intimidated by the subject matter, and there exists a real divide between the technical and nontechnical communities. As such, for the past four years, we have been offering a highly relevant, moderately technical nuclear science curriculum delivered at a level appropriate for motivated policy students.
Engaging with these students has been a wonderful and enlightening experience. I have shared my technical expertise, but I also quickly realized that I had a lot to learn from the policy perspective. I wanted to gain a better understanding of the wider implications of my work, as well as differing international perspectives and capabilities on key issues. I began to look for opportunities for immersion into the policy community, and AIP’s State Department Science Fellowship Program ended up being a perfect opportunity.
Wrapping up this fellowship is bittersweet. I've had amazing opportunities, met great people, and gotten way outside my comfort zone. I am, however, eager to put these experiences into practice and have them influence my coursework and capacity to mentor upon returning to GWU. I feel uniquely qualified for the classroom and similarly enlightened to help my science students consider meaningful careers that might not be in a lab or otherwise on their radar. I am eternally grateful to AIP for their support and would welcome any communication from potential applicants or other interested parties.