Monthly Archives: March 2018

Springfield Trip

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The Science Policy Group will be taking 12 students to Springfield on April 24th to meet with legislators to argue against HB 5134, a bill that would keep eight uneconomical coal plants in business by raising our electricity bills by $115/year. These coal plants, owned by Texas’ Dynegy Inc., emitted 32 million tons of carbon dioxide this year.

Attendees are expected to be available from 7:30am-6pm on April 24th, and should plan to bring money for breakfast and lunch. Business formal attire is also required (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G9u3uGNuqIA).

Please note, due to limited seating, only members of the Science Policy Group can officially go on this trip as a part of SPG.

March Newsletter

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View our newsletter online

How to Write your Representative

Want to make a positive impact on Congressional science policy, but unsure how? Come to our evening workshop and learn how to write a personalized letter to your Congressional Representative! The workshop will be led by J.C. Kibbey, Midwest Outreach and Policy Advocate at the Union of Concerned Scientists. Food and drink will be provided. More information here.

Date: Wednesday, March 7th
Time: 4:00-5:50 pm
Location: English Building, Room 108

Get-out-the-vote

The March primary elections are just around the corner! Your vote is crucial for positively impacting science-based policy. Early voting begins March 13th, the Tuesday before Spring Break, at several locations, including Illini Union Room 213. Polling places will be open every day from March 13th through March 20th. Voter registration instructions, voter guide, and polling locations will be posted on our facebook event page here.

Fellowship Workshop

Interested in learning more about national science policy fellowships? Come join us and previous AAAS Science Policy Fellowship recipients Dr. Gay Miller and Dr. Melissa Cragin for a workshop providing first-hand insight in to one of the premier science policy fellowships! We will also provide an overview of some of the major science policy fellowships, application dates to know, and tips on how to strengthen your application over the summer. More information here.

Date: Monday, March 12th
Time: 3:30-5:00 pm
Location: ACES Library Monsanto Room

Join one of our committees!

All of our committees are recruiting new members! If you are interested in having an active role in planning SPG’s 2018 events, contact Suds Dwaraknath (dwarakn2@illinois.edu – Inform Committee), Libby Haywood (mayberr3@illinois.edu – Professional Development Committee), or Robby Goldman (rgoldma3@illinois.edu – Advocacy Committee) for more details!

Advice from Kacy Redd

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Kacy Redd is the Assistant Vice President of STEM Education Policy at Association of Public and Land-grant Universities (APLU). Here are some great resources that she has to share about how to make the jump from PhD programs into policy or other nontraditional careers:

  • This posting on ASBMB has good advice for scientists transitioning to policy.
  • This article is for scientists interested in community management.
  • Lou Woodley has lots of blog posts on this topic here and an interview here.
  • There are some case studies are here.

Feel free to reach out to Kacy with any questions at KRedd@aplu.org!