Hey everyone! We at SPG would like to bring your attention to a great career opportunity for our members or others interested in Science Policy.

The Illini Science Policy Program is a unique post-graduate opportunity for graduate students who are interested in University of Illinois Extension’s critical issue areas – food, economy, environment, community, and health – and the policy decisions affecting those resources. The program will match highly motivated and qualified graduate students completing their degree from UIUC with hosts in public agencies or the Illinois legislature for a 12-month paid appointment. Illini Science Policy Scholars will explore public service careers at a high level, receiving support through mentoring, training, and networking events and establishing professional connections across multiple agencies and stakeholders.

Scholar assignments are identified by host offices, which may include local, state and federal agencies and legislative offices in Illinois. Hosts provide an educational opportunity to the scholars who will, in turn, provide substantial professional contributions to the office, drawing from the latest advances at University of Illinois’ flagship campus. Scholars are recent graduates with Masters, Doctoral, or J.D. degrees who work with the host office full-time, on site, and with other project partners as appropriate. As part of their experience, scholars will contribute to Extension projects that align with their assignments.

You can apply at https://extension.illinois.edu/connection/2021-scholar-application

The application deadline has recently been extended to February 26, 2021.

On September 19, over 30 people attended our Memo Writing Workshop! The event was co-headlined by Dr. Carolyn Wisniewski and Evin Groundwater from Writing Workshop, who presented on how to write a policy memo, and Ananya Sen, who presented on how to communicate science effectively through blogs. During the event, attendees learned how to adjust their communication style based on the person who was being communicated with, and Ananya answered questions about how to get in to writing blogs.

Ananya has previously written about the Science Policy Group for the Beckman Institute; a link to her article about the group can be found here. More information about the Writer’s Workshop can be obtained here.

Ananya informs attendees on how to write effective blogs

Hey everyone! We hope you had a great summer. To kick off the new year, we will be hosting a science policy writing workshop that will teach attendees how to communicate science effectively, taking into account audience. Free lunch will be provided! You can register here, and for further information you can email Santa at santanu2@illinois.edu. Hope to see you there!