Science Policy AMA: We’re Toby Smith and Erin Heath, two policy nerds with a combined 40 years of experience working with scientists, Members of Congress, federal officials and policymakers. We work to empower scientists and engineers to engage in policy. Ask us anything!

See the source article by following the link below:

Hi Reddit,

I’m Toby Smith, Vice President for Policy at the Association of American Universities (AAU), an organization of 60 leading U.S.research universities. I have been working in Washington for over 25 years to bring people from the scientific research and policy communities closer together and to help them better communicate with each other. I have written and spoken about science policy and funding issues, and co-authored Beyond Sputnik:U.S. Science Policy in the 21st Century.

I’m Erin Heath, Associate Director of Government Relations at the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), the world’s largest general scientific society and publisher of the journal Science. My job in a nutshell? I work to strengthen the connections between two different worlds – science and policy – and help create new ones.

We co-chair a coalition known as ESEP: Engaging Scientists and Engineers in Policy. Our ad-hoc group is made up of organizations that share the goal of empowering scientists to effectively engage in the policy process at all levels-local, state, and federal. As part of ESEP, we provide training for scientists interested in engaging in the science-policy interface, connect scientists with policymakers and other scientists through formal and informal channels, and promote an understanding within the research community that engaging in the policy process is an important contribution to science and society.

We will be back at 1 pm ET (10 am PT) to answer your questions, ask us anything!

">Science Policy AMA: We’re Toby Smith and Erin Heath, two policy nerds with a combined 40 years of experience working with scientists, Members of Congress, federal officials and policymakers. We work to empower scientists and engineers to engage in policy. Ask us anything!