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Alex Apotsos has been selected as AGU's 2007-2008 Congressional Science Fellow. Apotsos, who completed his Ph.D. in applied ocean science and engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Cambridge, and the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution in Woods Hole, Mass., in May 2007, will be working in the office of U.S. Senator Jon Tester (D-Mont.) on a variety of science, engineering, and technology issues.
His placement followed an in-depth orientation and interview process. In September, Apotsos joined the ranks of more than 30 other congressional science fellows from other organizations for a 2-week orientation at the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) headquarters in Washington, D. C. After the orientation session, the fellows underwent a lengthy interview process to determine their placement with various congressional and committee offices.
Apotsos said he understands that compromise is essential to working in a congressional office. "In order to enact policies that are environmentally responsible, economically feasible, and socially acceptable, compromises must be reached. Scientists, economists, and politicians must therefore work together, as rarely do any of them possess all the requisite expertise or speak for all concerned parties."
Apotsos's Ph.D. thesis dealt with predicting wave action and setup in the surf zone, and he also prepared for his current role by taking relevant science policy coursework in graduate school. Prior to graduate school, he served for 2 years in the Peace Corps as a water and sanitation engineer in Mali. He received his B.S. from the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at Duke University in 1999.
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