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Turning a Congressional Fellowship into a Career

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My route into science policy came through one of the few fixed points of entry: the Congressional Science and Engineering Fellowship Program. This program is essentially a 1-year postdoctoral appointment spent on Capitol Hill working with members of Congress or congressional committees as special assistants in legislative and policy areas requiring scientific and technical input.

Although administered by the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), the bulk of the congressional fellowships are funded by other scientific and engineering societies in a wide variety of disciplines. My fellowship was funded by the American Geophysical Union. Most require a doctorate or a master's degree with several years of subsequent experience in science or engineering. The sponsoring society is responsible for selecting the fellow and paying that person a stipend (which varies between $35,000 and $45,000). With their salary paid, the fellows come free-of-charge to work in the personal office of a senator or representative or for a committee.

This fellowship program was launched in 1973 in response to the lack of scientists on Capitol Hill and the perceived need for increased technical input in the legislative process. Between 25 and 30 fellows are chosen each year from a variety of disciplines. The program includes an intensive orientation on congressional and executive branch operations and a year-long seminar program on issues involving science and public policy.



The fellowships have launched many careers in science and public policy. Alumni of the program are well-placed throughout the Hill as staff directors, analysts, and professional staff members, as well as in high-level executive branch positions. After their fellowship year, about one-third of the Fellows stay on the Hill or elsewhere in the Washington area in some policy-related activity. About one-third return to their academic or industrial origins and the remaining one-third make some other kind of career change following their fellowship.

I applied for the fellowship while in the final stages of completing my doctoral work in geology, studying the tectonic processes that shaped the Death Valley region of California. My field area was about 30 miles from Yucca Mountain in Nevada, which the Department of Energy was studying as the likely site for the permanent disposal of the nation's high-level nuclear waste. I was intrigued by the technical aspects of the sitting process scientists trying to determine the potential for future earthquakes, volcanoes, or shifts in the water table that could create exposure pathways for the buried waste. My interest also was piqued by the difficult relationship between the scientists, the Department of Energy, and the many advocates for and against the site's suitability.

In addition, I have always been the sort of person who reads the paper every morning and tries to stay abreast of political issues. Having been a late convert to geology in college following several years as a history major, I still maintained a strong interest in the body politic as well as the planet Earth. The congressional fellowship was an opportunity to unite my diverse interests.

Plus, it was a job. When I obtained the fellowship, I was in a short-term postdoctoral appointment in my advisor's laboratory. Although I had a prospect for another post-doc out in California, it was not yet certain and I had already experienced a number of rejected applications for faculty positions that went instead to those who had already put in several years as an itinerant post-doc.

As a job, the fellowship could not have been better. Following an orientation into the ways of Congress and the federal agencies, I interviewed with a number of offices, meeting senators and representatives along the way. With my stipend paid for by the sponsoring society, the job market was considerably loosened!

I ended up with the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources working on issues including Yucca Mountain, environmental cleanup of the nuclear weapons complex, the fate of science agencies in the Department of the Interior, dismantling the federal helium program (you probably didn't know we had one), and revision of mining law. With the partial exception of the Yucca Mountain issue, none were within my scientific expertise but all required me to be able to process scientific information and then provide it in a usable form for the senators as well as the committee staff.

As my fellowship year drew to a close, I decided that I wanted to stay in Washington and find a job in science policy. As luck would have it, my current job opened up, and my fellowship experience was critical to landing it. Following a brief stint as a regular staffer for the committee, mostly tying up loose ends, I became the rock lobbyist, an advocate for the geo-sciences with the more formal title of Director of Government Affairs at the American Geological Institute, a federation of geo-science societies. The job is a two-way street, seeking to inform and influence policymakers on issues affecting the geosciences and at the same time informing the scientists about policy issues in Washington that affect them. I do not own a single pair of Gucci tassel loafers, but I am a registered lobbyist.

AGI's Government Affairs Program is relatively young, founded in 1991 and still a small shop-two full-time and one part-time staff. My job includes a number of components that would be classified as lobbying providing testimony before Congress and meeting with congressional staff and agency officials, both seeking and providing information. I also coordinate workshops that bring scientists to Washington to meet with their representatives.

A lot of time is spent writing-writing official letters, testimony, a monthly magazine column, electronic mail updates, and summaries of various issues. I am responsible for maintaining a web site with information on environmental, natural hazards, resources, appropriations, and other policy issues that impact the geosciences. I also try to get outside of Washington, meeting with member societies and giving colloquia at university geo-science departments.

Where Does A Career In Science Policy Lead?

It may seem like an odd selling point for a career pathway, but a benefit of science policy is that it can lead all sorts of places, many of them not actually in science policy. As indicated earlier, many who do congressional fellowships take their experience back to their earlier jobs or go in entirely new directions.

Just as academic training is the coin of the realm for the newly minted scientist, so policy experience is valuable, whether going back to academia, industry, or into a non-policy government research position. There are also opportunities in state governments at agencies handling environmental, health, resources, or technology issues. Having a firm understanding of the forces that are at play in obtaining grants, getting attention at the agency level or at the White House, and knowing how the political winds are changing are all invaluable to a business, government laboratory, or university department that relies on federal support.

For those who would like to return to academia (if not necessarily as a researcher), it is possible to teach a course or two as an adjunct professor in one's scientific specialty or on science policy. There are also a growing number of programs in science policy, and it may be possible to secure a full-time position in the field, returning to academia in a different field from the one you were trained in.

For those who get the Washington bug and want to stay in science policy, a number of the points of entry discussed above can lead to long-term appointments. But these seldom lead to a lifetime job. As in most other fields, mobility and multiple careers is the norm for scientists who become science policy wonks. The high turnover rate in Congress provides opportunity but not necessarily continuity. Political appointments in particular have a way of vanishing in the wake of elections.

Although the flat structure of many NGOs may not be particularly conducive to upward mobility, opportunities do exist in management. Many of the same qualities that make for a good advocate are also valuable for leadership positions. Furthermore, experience in government affairs at a scientific society or interest group is readily portable and can lead to similar work for the private sector, federal agencies, or other organizations.

Law firms increasingly represent another potential avenue for scientists with policy experience. Just as Congress deals with highly technical issues in the process of making laws, the same holds true for those who interpret and argue over those laws. Many firms hire economists, engineers, and scientists to assist with the technical aspects of cases in areas such as environmental or intellectual property law.

Many of the opportunities that have been described focus on scientists providing advice and analysis to policymakers, but there is no reason that a science policy career should not lead scientists to become policymakers themselves. In contrast to the droves of lawyers and businesspeople in Congress, very few senators or representatives have a scientific background.

Their small numbers include one geologist, one physicist, one chemist, and a couple of engineers, doctors, and veterinarians. In the past election, two former science fellows ran for Congress. Although neither won, there are many races yet to run.

Earning Potential

The senior advisor for my program likes to say that our organization is not-for-profit and good at it! For the most part, science policy types labor firmly in the middle class with pay scales similar to those of their research counterparts in academia and government. That said, however, the earning potential can be significantly greater for those in the upper echelons of federal jobs, including senior executive service positions and political appointments, which can pay in six figures. For those who leave the nonprofit or government sectors and work for government affairs offices in industry, compensation can likewise be considerable.
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