Arti Garg, ESAL Founder & Chair, recently spoke on a panel entitled "Influencing Policy: Opportunities for Scientists and Engineers" at the 2019 Annual AAAS Meeting. Here are her thoughts on becoming better "scientist citizens".
Municipal governments are typically constituted of an elected mayor, an elected city council, and several departments. Unlike many other levels of government, the mayor is typically not responsible for executive oversight of city departments. Instead, cities appoint city managers to manage their departments. Because of the breadth of implementation and regulatory responsibilities that fall to city governments, they have a significant impact on the success of many programs including those aimed at addressing social welfare through their work with community-based organizations, sustainable development through their planning departments, public safety through their police departments, and mobility through their streets and transportation departments.
Arti Garg, ESAL Founder & Chair, recently spoke on a panel entitled "Influencing Policy: Opportunities for Scientists and Engineers" at the 2019 Annual AAAS Meeting. Here are her thoughts on becoming better "scientist citizens".
Audrey Lee, a Ph.D. in electrical engineering, has helped translate energy policy at the highest levels of US government, advised the president of the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC), and served on the BART Environmental Justice Commission. At Sunrun, she continues to work closely with policymakers, bringing residential energy solutions like solar and batteries to market to meet environmental and policy goals.
DemocracyLab is an open-source platform shaping the field of civic tech, or technology for the public good. They match skilled volunteers with projects to take advantage the untapped potential of the civic tech movement.
Alex Luce, a Ph.D. in materials science and engineering, volunteers his expertise on Berkeley’s Energy Commission. The Commission is focused on helping the city achieve its climate and energy goals.
Based in San Francisco, City Innovate has a novel premise: they match start-ups with local government via a startup in residence program to form technologically savvy collaborations. Their mission is to show that “government can be a force for good, and that the best way to address the challenges we face in our communities is by working together across government, sectors, and cities.”
Robert G. Kennedy III, PE, has long viewed civic engagement and technical expertise as balanced components in a well-rounded career. Since 2008, he has served on the Environmental Quality Advisory Board for Oak Ridge, Tennessee and is currently the board’s chair.
The inaugural post of our "Local STEM" series features the NYU Center for Urban Science and Progress (CUSP). CUSP brings engineers and scientists together with city governments to tackle urban issues. We interviewed CUSP Executive Director Michael Holland to learn more about their work.
Tim Oolman is an engineer with a Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering who lives in Charleston, South Carolina. He told us about attending a City Council meeting and a State of the City address to learn more about his home.
ESAL Founder Arti Garg writes about how her work with a municipal task force showed her the connection between local litter abatement and San Francisco Bay health. She encourages readers to learn the role their local government plays in the science policy issues that matter to them.
