From Oct. 21 to 22, a delegation of 21 MIT students and one postdoc met in Washington for the 14th Executive Visit Days (ExVD). Organized by the MIT Science Policy Initiative (SPI) and the MIT Washington Office, ExVD enables students to engage with officials and scientists from federal agencies. Students are given a platform to form connections in the capital while learning about the many facets of science policy work and careers.
In two days, the delegation visited eight different agencies. The first day started with meeting the team of the MIT Washington Office. Subsequently, the group held meetings with the Special Competitive Studies Project (SCSP), White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP), Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health (ARPA-H), and National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). On the second day, meetings continued with the Department of Energy (DoE), National Science Foundation (NSF), Institute of Defense Analysis (IDA), and Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The meetings offered insights into each agency’s activities and showed how each agency’s work is related to science policy.
One specific example of the delegation’s visits was to the White House OSTP, located directly next to the West Wing at the Eisenhower Executive Office Building. This special agency of fewer than 200 staff, mostly in rotation or on loan from other federal agencies, directly reports to the president on all matters related to science and policy. The atmosphere at the White House complex and the exchanges with Kei Koizumi, principal deputy director for policy at OSTP, deeply inspired the students and showcased the impact science can have on federal policy.
The Science Policy Initiative (SPI) is an organization of students and postdocs whose core goal is to foster the discourse of MIT students and the policy community. SPI organizes multiple trips to Washington every year to empower students to connect with federal agencies and policymakers, as well as showcase potential career paths for scientists in the policy. In particular, ExVD offered opportunities to network with officials, many of whom are MIT alums and open to discussing their paths toward careers in science policy.
The impact ExVD has is profound. “It was a fantastic opportunity to learn more about science policy and interact with representatives from several federal agencies. I strongly believe that scientists equipped with policy knowledge can play a crucial role in shaping effective and evidence-based policies that can benefit society,” says Maria Proestaki, a postdoc researching organ-on-a-chip technologies at the Department of Biological Engineering.
Alexandra Cabanelas, a PhD student of biological oceanography at the MIT-Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution Joint Program, adds: “It was interesting to see common themes across the agencies, especially the importance of having individuals from diverse fields and expertise in federal roles, highlighting that even if you are not pursuing a science policy-specific degree, you can still succeed in these roles.”
Joachim Schaeffer, a PhD student working on machine learning for batteries and SPI ExVD chair, concludes: “Science and technology are fundamental pillars of our society, and in particular now, it is more important than ever that scientists engage with policymakers to work on solving great challenges, such as biosecurity, AI safety, and climate change. Neither science nor policy can solve these challenges alone. We need strong science and policies informed by science to thrive.”
The overall sentiment among the ExVD participants has been motivation. Participants have expressed feeling more informed and inspired to integrate policy in their future careers or in their graduate research, aware that a scientific background is a great asset in the policy world.
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