Now is a critical time to get involved with science policy as an early career researcher or graduate student. Below are just a few examples of issues that researchers and students lent their voices to and had a major impact on public policy decision-making.
Tuition waivers that come with research assistantships–often the lifeblood of graduate students which provide modest stipends to live off–would have been counted as taxable income under a GOP tax proposal. Advocates argued that this would make graduate school an unaffordable proposition for too many students. The research community stood-up and the Administration backed-down.
A proposal to eliminate the student loan interest deduction that allows students to deduct up to $2,500 of interest payments on student loans was on the chopping block. The research community stood-up and Congress backed-down.
The Lifetime Learning Credit that provides tax benefits up to $2,000 for tuition and enrollment fees was set to be eliminated. The research community stood-up and Congress backed-down.
Now, rising concerns about the lack of scientific evidence informing our nation’s policy decisions motivated hundreds of thousands to March for Science.
This is where you come in—as a graduate student, it’s easy to get involved with issues you care about, like the ones listed above, to impact policy at the local, state, & national levels.
Unsure of your current representatives? Look-up your lawmakers here.
AIMBE has launched a new lecture series on the campuses of colleges and universities across the country on “The Science of Failed Public Policy–Why Congress Doesn’t Fund Medical Innovation,” hosted by AIMBE Executive Director Milan Yager. Contact myager@aimbe.org to schedule a fall lecture on your campus. Learn more.
AIMBE provides resources to look-up your Members of Congress, write a letter to your lawmakers, schedule appointments with your elected officials, information on hosting a congressional lab tour, and more. Get engaged and use these resources to get active on your campus. Learn more.
AIMBE hosts a 2-day Public Policy Institute for Rising Leaders in late October to inform students about the policy landscape shaping medical and biological engineering. This training workshop has included sessions by White House officials, industry executives, and public policy experts in the medical device and innovation sector. Learn more.
Former White House Official Robbie Barbero, Ph.D., Assistant Director for Biological Innovation for the Office of Science and Technology Policy address the White House Role in Science Policymaking.
Participants network with Philip Desjardins, J.D., Vice President of Global Regulatory Affairs & Intelligence for Medical Devices at Johnson & Johnson.
The AIMBE FDA Scholars discuss regulatory policy with Patricia Shrader, J.D., Former Vice President of Global Regulatory Affairs for Medtronic.
The AIMBE Scholars Program enables distinguished post-doctorates in biomedical engineering fields to serve as expert advisors to policy makers at the FDA. Scholars learn how to apply their experiences from the lab to inform regulatory policy. AIMBE Scholars work side-by-side with the most influential decision makers at the agency. Scholars receive training about regulatory science and policy and build relationships with key government stakeholders. Learn more.
2017-2018 AIMBE Scholars meet Dr. Michael Hill, Vice President of Corporate Science, Technology, and Clinical Affairs for Medtronic.
2016-2017 AIMBE Scholars meet with former White House Official Robbie Barbero, Ph.D., Assistant Director for Biological Innovation for the Office of Science and Technology Policy and AIMBE Past President Dr. Gilda Barabino.
Talk to your university’s Office of Government/Federal Relations for opportunities at your institution and use resources like the National Science Policy Group to explore science policy groups/initiatives in your area.
Additional fellowship opportunities are identified here. Below is a short list of some of the most popular opportunities.
Join the AIMBE LinkedIn group and follow AIMBE on Twitter to stay connected.
Twitter is a great resource for keeping-up with science policy. Start by following #scipol, #scicomm. and #scipoljobs, and explore the resources below:
American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering – Leadership and Advocacy for MBE
Engineers & Scientists Acting Locally–Dedicated to increasing local civic engagement by engineers & scientists.
An ad hoc alliance to empower scientists and engineers to effectively engage in the policy making process at all levels of government.
Updates from the American Association for the Advancement of Science.
Breaking news & analysis of science policy, politics, & controversies from Science Insider.
Vice President for Policy, Association of American Universities.
A #scicomm workshop series for grad students.
A nonpartisan, nonprofit organization established via the California State Legislature—making California’s policies stronger with science since 1988.
Providing objective S&T info to Congress & policy info to the STEM Community.
Science & Tech. Policy Fellows enhance federal policy and transform their careers.
Career education group that exposes UC Berkeley Ph.D. students and postdocs to career options outside of academia.
A science policy news service supported by the American Institute of Physics.
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