March 10, 2017
Written by Seamus Bann
The American Association for the Advancement of Science exists at a unique interface between science and society: aside from publishing the journal Science, AAAS focuses on STEM education, global science outreach, and participates in science policy and advocacy on behalf of the U.S. scientific community. As a graduate student in AeroAstro and the Technology and Policy Program, I’m passionate about the role scientists and engineers play in advancing fact-based assessments of the nation’s most pressing issues, and I firmly believe that the academic community has a critical voice in building constructive policies. My research, for example, focuses on alternative transportation fuels, but my work intentionally addresses actions taken by the Environmental Protection Agency to promote the use of renewable gasoline, diesel, and jet fuel. The importance of cross-disciplinary inquiry was on full display at the recent AAAS Annual Meeting (held February 16-20 in Boston) with seminars ranging from “Global Climate Change Imperatives in a Post-Paris Agreement World” to “Leveraging Linguistics to Broaden Participation in STEM.” The latter talk, given jointly by Anne Charity-Hudley (of William and Mary), Mary Bucholtz (of UC Santa Barbara), and Michael DeGraff (of MIT) emphasized the importance of leveraging the backgrounds of socio-linguistically diverse students—with evidence drawn from African-American, Haitian, and Latina/Latino communities—to bolster STEM education within those populations. Another discussion with Jed Rakoff (of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York), Jose Almirall (of Florida International University), and William Thompson (of UC Irvine) highlighted the importance of scientific rigor during forensic investigations. These sessions illustrated important issues—climate change, STEM education, and criminal justice—but emphasized the essential contributions of good science toward robust solutions.
As a participant in the Student Poster Competition, I had an opportunity to discuss my research with students from around the country. I presented my work on alternative jet fuel production pathways in the “Environmental and Ecology” category, with other students presenting in categories such as “Brain and Behavior,” “Cellular and Molecular Biology,” “Developmental Biology, Physiology, and Immunology,” and “Physical Sciences,” to name a few. One poster, from fellow MIT student Marika Psyhojos, explained the role of the Internet of Things in promoting better care for older adults. A survey of doctors around the country fueled a discussion about how new innovations might best support a burgeoning aging population. Another poster, from University of Kentucky student Grant Victor, described widespread opioid and heroin abuse trends around the United States. Both posters, found in the “Science in Society” category, struck me as particularly relevant to two pressing issues that receive considerable media attention: how best to provide geriatric care and the nationwide opioid epidemic. As policymakers across the country wade into debates about how best to address these issues, perhaps the best starting point might be to consult the researchers—like Marika and Grant—who use the scientific method to deliver fact-supported conclusions.