Second Tertulia CienciaPR: Science Policy

We continually hear in the news discussion about topics of global significance such as energy or health reforms, national security, global warming, the food crisis, and the fiscal budget and its impact on innovation and competitiveness, among others. Although seemingly unrelated to each other, in order to be resolved all of these issues need to include considerations about science.

It is precisely at the interface of science, society and government where "science policy" lives; it is an area dedicated to applying, incorporating or translating science and technology knowledge and findings in order to develop well-informed policies or programs for the common good.

You may be asking yourself: How can scientists participate in science policy? Who works on science policy and where can you find jobs in this area? What is a typical day in the life of someone who does science policy? What skills and training are necessary for these types of jobs?

To answer these and many other questions CienciaPR has developed the event Tertulia CienciaPR: Science Policy, a discussion (in Spanish) that will feature Puerto Rican scientists working in this field, who will share with us their experiences and professional tips on how and why to engage in discussions of science policy and what career opportunities exist in this area.

Our esteemed panel will be comprised by:

Dr. Frances Colón Hastings, Deputy Science and Technology Adviser to the Secretary of State of the United States, a very prestigious and impactful prestigious in science policy matters of international reach. We have highlighted the work of Frances in a previous cover story and her work has also been profiled by El Nuevo Día.

Dr. Yaihara Fortis Santiago, 2012-2014 AAAS Science and Technology Policy Fellow, who has worked in the Office of Emerging Frontiers in Research and Innovation and the Office of International and Integrative Activities in Science and Engineering of the National Science Foundation. Yara is a member of the CienciaPR volunteer team and also active participant of the SACNAS organization.

Dr. Franklin Carrero Martínez, 2012-2014 AAAS Science and Technology Policy Fellow, and 2012 recipient of the prestigious AAAS Roger Revelle Global Stewardship Fellowship. Franklin currently works with the Office of the Science and Technology Advisor to the Secretary of State of the United States. Recently Franklin's work was reviewed by the American Society for Cell Biology and we have also presented his work on science policy related to broadening the participation of underrepresented minorities in science in our CienciaPR cover story.

In addition, we will have the participation as moderator of Dr. Giovanna Guerrero-Medina, Executive Director of CienciaPR and also an expert on science policy, with experience working at the National Institutes of Health and the National Academies of Science on policies related to the biomedical workforce, health disparities, and training issues.

We will also enjoy the presence of  student Orlando José Morales, PhD candidate in the Department of Chemistry, at the University of Puerto Rico, Rio Piedras and intern at the State Department of Puerto Rico.

You will not want to miss this event! Connect to it, live this Thursday May 29th at 8:00 pm (PR) by following this link. You will be able to interact and ask questions through the event page or by using the "hashtag" #tertuliaCienciaPR on our Twitter or Facebook accounts.

And make sure to bookmark this page as we will be placing the entire video of the discussion once completed here, as well as a list of resources for those interested in getting involved in science policy.