Abstract

Science and technology (S&T) are increasingly integrated with all aspects of society. As a result, the ability to evaluate scientific information becomes ever more critical for policy and governing decisions. But such information is complex, and it can be misunderstood, distorted, or mischaracterized. The scientific community can help ensure that sound science informs public policy debates, but finding an effective, robust, and reliable means of doing so is a challenging task. Scientists participating in the California Science & Technology Fellows Program help state lawmakers in Sacramento create evidence-based policies. The model can and should be replicated elsewhere, argue the authors. Image courtesy of Shutterstock/Steven Frame. A well-tested vehicle is the California Science & Technology Policy Fellows Program, now accepting applications for its 10th yearly class of fellows. Here we present evidence that this program has had a substantial impact on policy at the state level, and we argue that other states of all political stripes would be wise to consider similar efforts to further the public good for their respective citizenry. For more than 40 years, the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) Science & Technology Policy Fellowships program has placed scientists and engineers with advanced degrees in positions in the US government in Washington, DC, large numbers of whom have subsequently taken on permanent policy roles (1⇓–3). Inspired by the AAAS example, a program for placing S&T fellows in state legislatures was conceived and seed-funded by the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation (https://www.moore.org). This program was further supported by a 2007 convocation held at the National Academies to survey the status of state S&T policy advising, which concluded that “almost all legislators and their staffs need help in dealing with science and technology policy issues” (4), and that “A mechanism for sharing best practices … [↵][1]1To whom correspondence should be addressed. Email: balberts{at}ucsf.edu. [1]: #xref-corresp-1-1

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