The Bridge: Connecting Science and Policy

March 26, 2018

Briefing Recap: Space Discovery through Cutting-Edge Technology

On Tuesday, 27 February 2018 the House Earth and Space Science Caucus hosted a briefing on “Space Discovery through Cutting-Edge Technology.” Representative Polis (CO-02), co-chair of the caucus, kicked off the briefing with a speech highlighting the awe-inspiring nature of space discovery and the key role technology plays in science. Representative Costello (PA-06), the other caucus co-chair co-sponsoring the briefing, was unable to attend. The panel was moderated by Randy …

January 24, 2018

More Continuing Resolutions, More Negotiations

On Monday, Congress passed a new continuing resolution (CR), ending the second government shutdown in five years. The current CR marks the fourth short term spending bill in fiscal year (FY) 2018 and only funds the government through 8 February. While Congress was able to pass a bipartisan spending bill that ensures that our federal science agencies can currently provide the information and services that protect our local communities, there …

January 17, 2018

A New Year….and Old Nominations?

*Update as of 1/18/2018: The nominations of Rep. Jim Bridenstine (R-OK) to be NASA Administrator and AccuWeather CEO Barry Myers to be NOAA Administrator, again cleared the Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee on party line votes. The nominees will now be voted on by the entire Senate. 2017 was a whirlwind of a year. With a new President came new nominees to be the heads of our federal science agencies. As …

July 18, 2017

House Rejects Trump’s Budget, but Still Cuts Science

Appropriations Update: Part 2 Leaders in the House of Representatives have directed the Appropriations Committee to introduce and consider all 12 appropriations bills before the chamber breaks for August recess. Overall, science fared poorly in the House spending bills, although most agencies did not receive the drastic cuts proposed by the President’s budget request. Here’s a recap of the Energy and Water spending bill, which includes funding for the Department …

July 17, 2017

Science Fares Poorly in House Spending Bills

Appropriations Update: Part 1 Leaders in the House of Representatives have directed the Appropriations Committee to introduce and consider all 12 appropriations bills before the chamber breaks for August recess. Overall, science fared poorly in the House spending bills, although most agencies did not receive the drastic cuts proposed by the President’s budget request. Here’s a recap of the Commerce-Justice-Science spending bill for fiscal year 2018 (FY18), which includes …

July 12, 2017

Reflections on a Society Doorknock: Engaging Policy Makers

Editors Note: This blog post was cross-posted from Wiley’s Discover the Future of Research blog. By Lexi Shultz, Vice President of Public Affairs, American Geophysical Union Thanks to the terrific staff at Wiley, I recently had the opportunity to join other leaders from scientific societies for a day on Capitol Hill – or, as Wiley calls it, a “Doorknock.” During this event, representatives from half a dozen or so science …

June 8, 2017

MIT Student Policy Group Shines on Capitol Hill

Editor’s Note: The following guest blog is written by Tiziana Smith, a PhD student in the Civil and Environmental Engineering Department at MIT and a graduate of the MIT Technology and Policy Master’s Program. When I attended the AGU conference last fall for the first time, I knew from the beginning that I wanted to attend as many science communication and science policy events as possible. At these events, I …

June 1, 2017

Environmental Protection Agency: Cuts to Science and Personnel

The President’s budget proposes an overall reduction in the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) funding by 30% relative to the FY2017 Omnibus bill. The agency’s Science and Technology programs would see nearly a 45% reduction under the President’s budget to streamline EPA’s work, including cuts to research in the Air and Energy, Water Resources, Community Sustainability, and Chemical Safety programs to name a few. Programs that would be eliminated under the …

April 18, 2017

Science Fellows Coming to State Legislatures Across the United States

Editor’s Note: The following guest blog is written by Rebecca French, Director of Community Engagement at the Connecticut Institute for Resilience & Climate Adaptation (CIRCA) and former AGU Congressional Science Fellow On February 16, 2017, the California Council on Science & Technology (CCST) announced planning grants for nine states to start science policy fellowships modeled on their successful program in California. The nine states include my home state of Connecticut …

April 12, 2017

All Politics is Local – Engaging your Legislators Locally

Today is the 82nd day of the Trump presidency and science has already emerged as a significant issue, although not always in ways the scientific community supports. Given this environment, scientists and non-scientists alike are asking, “What can we do to support science?” Currently, your members of Congress are back home in their states and districts for April recess. April recess runs from Saturday, 8 April through the weekend of …