Author Archives: mille138@illinois.edu

Fighting Gerrymandering with Blue Waters Supercomputing

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The Science Policy Group at UIUC is hosting a presentation by Prof. Wendy K. Tam Cho, of the departments of Political Science, Statistics, and Asian American Studies. She will present her interdisciplinary research that utilizes Blue Waters, one of the most powerful supercomputers in the world, to develop a standard for partisan gerrymandering. This work focuses on analyzing and reforming redistricting in a way that is tightly coupled with the framework that the Supreme Court has outlined over the past five decades. Her work draws from many fields, including statistics, operations research, computer science, high performance computing, math, law, and political science.

Join us Thursday, August 31st at 2:30 p.m. at B102 CLSL (Chemical and Life Sciences Laboratory)!

Read more about Prof. Cho’s research: here

See our Facebook event for more updates: here

Science Policy Fellowship Workshop

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The Science Policy Group in partnership with the Office of External Fellowships has put together a Science Policy Fellowship Workshop. This workshop will introduce participants to the myriad of science policy fellowships available and offer helpful tips to enable students to tailor their science policy fellowship applications towards science policy rather than research. Previous science policy fellowship recipients, Dr. Gay Miller (AAAS) and Dr. Derek Attig (Google Public Policy), will provide input on their experiences as a fellow. This workshop will take place on Wednesday, July 26, 2017 from 10:00am-12:00pm at Lincoln Hall room 1092.

More information on our Facebook event page: here

Update: Illinois State Senator Scott Bennett Lecture

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Illinois State Senator Scott Bennett (D-Champaign) came to UIUC to give a  public talk on science-based legislation on Thursday, July 13th at the Beckman Institute auditorium. Over 150 people came to watch Senator Bennett give a short lecture based on his experience working with scientists to craft legislation within the Illinois Senate. He helped explain how scientists are able to contribute their knowledge and research throughout the legislative process and then answered questions.

Video recording of the event: here

Pictures of the event: here

Illinois State Senator Scott Bennett: A Public Talk on Science-Based Legislation

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Senator Bennett (D-Champaign) will be giving a short lecture based on his experience working with scientists to craft legislation within the Illinois Senate. He will help explain how scientists are able to contribute their knowledge and research throughout the legislative process, followed by a short question and answer period. The public talk on the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign campus will be held on Thursday, July 13t h at 4:00 pm in the auditorium at the Beckman Institute, 405 N. Mathews, Urbana. The talk is open to the public.

Senator Bennett is the state senator from Illinois 52n d district representing Champaign and Vermillion counties. As vice chairman of the Senate Agriculture Committee he has been a tireless advocate for protecting local farmers and the environment. He has passed legislation to help protect the Mahomet aquifer and maintain clean drinking water for the area. He also serves on committees striving to improve higher education in Illinois, and has sponsored legislation to increase agricultural education.

The event is sponsored by the UIUC Science Policy Group (SPG). The SPG is a bipartisan collective of graduate students who are interested in creating opportunities for scientists to engage in the public policy discourse. The group has previously hosted several invited speakers and lectures for the campus community, including their bi-annual Call a Representative Day event hosted every spring and fall. The event will co-hosted by the Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology. The Beckman Institute is a worldwide leader in fostering interdisciplinary research in engineering, and physical and biological sciences.

For more information, contact us at spg.uiuc@gmail.com

Publicity: Science Policy Group Hosts Brown Bag Luncheon About Diversity Initiatives in STEM

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Check out a great article from I-STEM about our Diversity Policy Discussion: http://www.istem.illinois.edu/news/diversity.panel.html

On April 19th, a number of University folk interested in increasing diversity in STEM attended a brown bag luncheon, “Diversity Initiatives in STEM.” The featured speakers at the event were Ellen Wang Althaus, Director of Graduate Diversity in the Chemistry Department, and Jennifer Greene, a Professor in Educational Psychology. Sponsoring the event was a new RSO (Registered Student Organization), the Science Policy Group, which began in fall of 2016.

Publicity: Science Policy Group Seeks to Foster Careers in, Educate About, and Advocate for Science Policy

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Check out this article from the I-STEM Education Initiative on SPG’s beginnings, recent efforts, & future goals!
http://www.istem.illinois.edu/news/sciencepolicygroup.html

“We are only as powerful as the people that decide to join.” – Libby Haywood, MCB Graduate Student and Chair of the SPG Professional Development Committee

While the Science Policy Group, which began in January of 2017, might be the new kids on the block when it comes to RSOs (Registered Student Organizations), they’re not hesitant to tackle some weighty subjects, like diversity in STEM or President Trump’s impact on science education. Their latest coup? They’ve invited Illinois State Senator Scott Bennett to drop by campus to participate in a dialog about Science Policy at 4:00 pm on July 13, 2017, at Beckman Auditorium…and invite everyone to attend.

May Newsletter

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Upcoming Science Policy Fellowship Workshop

The Professional Development Committee is planning a Science Policy Fellowship Workshop to take place this summer. We would like to know the policy fellowships you are interested in so we can build our workshop around your interests! Please fill out our survey by Friday, May 12th to give your input.

State Senator Scott Bennett to give a talk in June

Sen. Scott Bennett will be coming to campus to give a public talk on lawmaking for science Thursday, June 15th at 4 PM. Stay tuned for more details!

UIUC Student Day at the Capitol

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Illinois Connection hosted its annual “Student Day at the Capitol” event facilitated by the Student Advocacy Coalition, bringing together students from all three U of I campuses.  The main objective this year was advocating for funding public higher education in the state of Illinois.  Students met with representatives and senators of the state legislature to spread this message, including our own Ryan Rooney seen talking with State Representative Carol Ammons, who represents Urbana. There is another trip planned for May 10th, details can be found at http://www.cvent.com/events/2017-day-at-the-capitol-springfield/event-summary-81fff9021b7447dda7b410f3f9ab31e8.aspx

Diversity Initiatives in Stem: Brown Bag Lunch

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Science Policy Group is hosting a brown bag lunch discussion on diversity policy initiatives in STEM! The goal of this discussion is to introduce policies that promote diversity in STEM (such as NSF’s Broadening Participation Initiatives), to understand how these policies were drafted, and to evaluate their ability to recruit underrepresented groups to STEM fields.

Prof. Jennifer Greene from the Educational Psychology Department and Dr. Ellen Wang Althaus, Director of Graduate Diversity in the Department of Chemistry, will be guiding the discussion.

Date and time: Wednesday, April 19th 1:00 pm – 2:00 pm
Venue: Asian American Cultural Center, 1210 W. Nevada St., Urbana, IL

Bring your own lunch (if desired), coffee and cookies will be served
RSVP: https://illinois.edu/fb/sec/3313674 (space is limited!)
Contact Cecilia Gentle at gentle2@illinois.edu with any questions.

April Events

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Our monthly email can be found here: http://illinois.edu/emailer/newsletter/126214.html

Subscribe here: https://illinois.edu/gm/subscribe/43447

Call a Representative Day

The Advocacy Committee has organized Call a Representative Day for members of our campus community to contact their elected officials because of significant cuts to federal funding for research in President Trump’s budget proposal. Stop by for a few minutes to receive the contact information for your representatives and talking points for urging your representatives to stand up for science funding!

Date and time: Monday, April 10th 9:00 am – 5:00 pm

Venue: 104 Illini Union

Brown Bag Lunch – Diversity Initiatives in STEM

Science Policy Group is hosting a brown bag lunch discussion on diversity policy initiatives in STEM.  The goal of this discussion is to introduce policies that promote diversity in STEM (such as NSF’s Broadening Participation Initiatives), to understand how these policies were drafted, and to evaluate their ability to recruit underrepresented groups to STEM fields.

Prof. Jennifer Greene from the Educational Psychology Department and Dr. Ellen Wang Althaus, Director of Graduate Diversity in the Department of Chemistry, will be guiding the discussion.

Date and time: Wednesday, April 19th 1:00 pm – 2:00 pm

Venue: Asian American Cultural Center, 1210 W. Nevada St., Urbana, IL

Bring your own lunch (if desired), coffee and cookies will be served

RSVP: https://illinois.edu/fb/sec/3313674 (space is limited!)