George Mason and Virginia Tech collaborate to build science policy connections

Today, Virginia is one step closer to bridging the gap between science and policy—a critical relationship necessary to navigate a range of socio-technical issues including climate change, biodiversity loss, pandemics, and poverty. This connection was the result of a yearlong research project to identify U.S. and Virginia-based science policy programs that engage STEM-H scientists and engineers in science policy, with the goal of helping both elected officials and others access technical information to assist in decision making. 

This work was completed thanks to a coalition of faculty and students supported though a 4-VA@Mason grant. The team was led by K.L. Akerlof in George Mason University’s Department of Environmental Science and Policy and Todd Schenk, chair and associate professor in the Urban Affairs and Planning Program of the School of Public and International Affairs at Virginia Tech and director of the Science, Technology and Engineering in Policy Program. 

“This funding supported our cross-institutional collaboration and ability to conduct baseline research and networking that have been fundamental to understanding how the landscape of science policy training programs is evolving across the United States,” Akerlof said. 

The team created a database of U.S. science policy programs and conducted a case study of those in Virginia through surveys and interviews with their leaders, with the goal of advancing best practices for professional mentorship of early career researchers and building capacity for training researchers to engage in public policy. Akerlof and Schenk were assisted in the study by science policy expert Adriana Bankston; George Mason students Kelsey Mitchell, Kate Saylor and Aniyah Syl; and Kenneth Dewberry at Virginia Tech. 

Following the yearlong collaboration, the results of their research have been developed and are featured on a new website—along with program blogs and a listserv—created to support this emerging network of science policy programs.  

The results showed that the majority—57%—of U.S. science policy programs are state based. These programs include student organizations, government placements and fellowships, academic certificates, degrees, and other training. However, it was recognized that there is a limited ability to implement evidence-based approaches within these programs. 

The team compared program outcomes from Virginia’s science policy programs with those described in academic literature. Academic and professional scholarship in science communication and public affairs suggests that curricula for engaging scientists and engineers should broadly cover communication and policy processes, which could be improved. 

In addition, they found that training programs would benefit from evaluation models and measures, although the lack of consistent theoretical foundations across this highly multidisciplinary scholarship reduces their utility. It was concluded that a common framework, which includes shared terms and relationships, is needed to promote the growth of the field. 

With the results of their analysis in hand, the team, including George Mason undergraduate student Aniyah Syl and PhD student Kelsey Mitchell, helped lead a state webinar on science policy programs featuring Virginia program leaders. Syl co-presented on the project at a Virginia Sea Grant Symposium which was also the topic of an American Geophysical Union e-lightning talk. 

Master’s student Kate Saylor successfully defended her thesis on the Commonwealth of Virginia Engineering and Science (COVES) Policy Fellowship and subsequently presented her results to James Aylor, president of the Virginia Academy of Science, Engineering, and Medicine. 

The first of two research articles based on the project has just been accepted by the journal Evidence & Policy. A second article has also been submitted for publication. Syl and Mitchell participated as co-authors on the publications.  

The team is also in conversation with the leadership of the Virginia Academy of Science, Engineering, and Medicine about the development of a new weeklong science policy program for undergraduate students from across the commonwealth’s public universities.