Members Graduate from NSPN SciPol Scholars Bootcamp

Members Conner Philson and Lauren Wagner recently graduated from the National Science Policy Network’s Science Policy Scholars Bootcamp as part of the Spring 2022 cohort!

After a competitive application process, this 6-week intensive course prepares 10 Scholars for a hands-on paid residency in a science policy office of the Scholar’s choosing.

Conner has already secured his six-month internship working in an ecology office!

Lauren is currently scouting out internship opportunities in the Science Diplomacy world with the help of the SciPol Scholars program coordinator. She hopes to start her internship at the beginning of next year!

The curriculum focuses on science policy basics, including the legislative process and the federal infrastructure that supports science in the U.S., as well as career development modules for refining biosketches, CVs, and professional writing samples. Focusing on the theme of Climate Change and Society, the Spring 2022 SPS Bootcamp aimed to help Scholars understand “how policy can be leveraged to mitigate the vast and multifaceted impacts of climate change and the tools to do so”. During the process, Lauren wrote a policy piece about sea level rise and international relations, and Conner wrote a piece about the relationships between biological field stations, marine laboratories, and biodiversity.

Congratulations to these two accomplished members! We can’t wait to see what else they tackle.

Image source: https://scipolnetwork.org/news/734653

“The NSPN SciPol Scholars Program was a transformational opportunity that will shape my SciPol experiences and career for years to come. Learning from my peers and experts in the field broadened my horizons and deepened my understanding of the complexity and nuance of science policy and emphasized the need for scientists in policy”

-Conner

“The SciPol Scholars bootcamp was a great experience! In addition to the genuinely lovely and fun cohort of classmates, the course content was fun, engaging, and informative. I enjoyed the program's one-on-one meetings with writing consultants the most, as they were extremely helpful for pushing me to think about the purpose of my writing and for brainstorming possible publication outlets. Overall, participating in this program has strengthened my confidence in my own science policy knowledge and helped me refine my application materials (CV, biosketch, writing sample) for science policy internships”

-Lauren