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Biological oceanographer Jana Davis is AGU's Congressional Science Fellow for 2004-2005. She will spend the year in the office of U. S. Senator Frank Lautenberg (D-N. J.), working on ocean and other environment issues. Davis received her Ph.D. in 2000 from the Scripps Institution of Oceanography in San Diego, California, and most recently was with the Maritime Studies Program, Williams College-Mystic Seaport in Connecticut, and the Smithsonian Environmental Research Center in Maryland. She is AGU's 28th Congressional Science Fellow.
Davis applied for the fellowship in order to focus on policy at this point in her career.
She observed, "I feel that cases in which policy might benefit from increased incorporation of science outnumber those in which science lags policy." Davis said that the fellowship will "provide the ideal educational experience" to learn how policy makers struggle to "balance current human need with future human and ecological value."
The current fellowship program began in early September when approximately 30 Congressional Science Fellows underwent a 2-week orientation course to prepare them for a strange new life on Capitol Hill. Typically, fellows serve as legislative assistants during their year in Congress, either on committee staff or in personal offices of senators and representatives.
Often, the fellow is the only scientist or engineer in the office, and is thus expected to handle most science-related issues whether or not they are related to the fellow's specific expertise. Duties are varied and can include assisting in the preparation of legislative bills, writing press releases or speeches, answering constituent mail, and even advising their legislator during debates on the House or Senate floor.
The demand for fellows by congressional offices typically exceeds the supply. One reason is the sheer number of legislative issues with aspects of science and technology faced by Congress on a daily basis, such as stem cell research, the future of manned versus unmanned space exploration, climate change, and ocean resource conservation. As most congressional staff members have a limited understanding of science, many offices seek scientists who understand the scientific process, have an in-depth knowledge of a particular field, and can communicate technical matters to non-experts quickly and effectively.
Davis' interest in public policy began when she attended the New Jersey Governor's School of Public Issues, a state program in public policy, as a teenager. Her interests have grown into a desire to participate in the process of developing natural resource policy. She will probably get her chance in the upcoming year. Lautenberg is an active member of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, which oversees coastal zone management, oceans, weather, atmospheric activities, marine fisheries, and other topics with scientific aspects.
Davis will join last year's Congressional Science Fellow, Kevin Vranes, at a luncheon briefing on the fellowship program to be held at the AGU Fall Meeting in San Francisco on Wednesday, 15 December, 12:30-13:30, in the Marriott Hotel, Yerba Buena Salons 10 and 11. Davis and Vranes will describe their experiences and answer questions.
Those interested in applying for the fellowship should visit the AGU Web site: http://www.agu.org/sci_soc/policy/congress_fellows.html or contact Peter Folger, AGU Public Affairs, pfolger@agu.org.
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