April 2, 2019

STEM and policy leaders: ‘What IF we could engineer policy’

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — The worlds of STEM and policy can be very different in areas including environmental instability, global health, digital infrastructures and security. So, what will it take to bring a stronger voice of STEM expertise into global policy discussions and implementations?

“What IF We Could Engineer Policy?” is a part of Purdue’s Ideas Festival, the centerpiece of Purdue’s Giant Leaps Sesquicentennial Campaign, which is a series of events that connect world-renowned speakers and Purdue expertise in a conversation on the most critical problems facing the world. One of the Ideas Festival’s themes is “Artificial Intelligence, Algorithms and Automation.”

On April 28-30, the Jefferson Science Symposium will bring together previous Jefferson Science Fellows from Big Ten universities, and Washington, D.C. policy experts to discuss experiences and lessons learned for applying STEM expertise and research capabilities to address domain, functional, and regional challenges in international science and technology policy. The symposium will highlight some of the fellows’ experiences as they work with the Science and Technology Advisers to the Secretary of State, as well as critical policy organizations in Washington D.C.

The conference is free to attend but registration is required. The registration deadline is April 22. The symposium is sponsored by the Purdue Policy Research Institute in Discovery Park.

This conference is the first event that invites Jefferson Science Fellows to come together, share their experiences, inspire and encourage research in areas that bring science, technology and policy together for the benefit of the whole society. Coordinated by the Purdue Systems Collaboratory, this conference will facilitate connections of knowledge experts to policy makers, highlight priorities, and initiate collaborations between academic institutes and government.

The Jefferson Science Fellowship program started in 2003 as the result of a report from the National Academies of Science, Engineering and Medicine with recommendations to the U.S. Secretary of State. Since 2004, 145 senior STEM faculty (including 11 Purdue affiliated, current and past — the most of any university) have served in residence at the Department of State or U.S. Agency for International Development, applying their knowledge to the societal challenges facing the international science and technology policy communities. 

Media contact: Amy Patterson Neubert, 765-494-9723, apatterson@purdue.edu

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