S&T Policy Employment in DC

The Science and Technology Policy Institute (STPI), a Federally Funded Research and Development Center (FFRDC) that serves OSTP and the Executive agencies, is looking for entry-level staff to participate in science and technology policy-support analyses. Areas covered include all domains of science and technology, as well as methods-related capabilities. Recent activities have been in areas including but not limited to biomedical research, international health, energy and the environment, space and aeronautics, education, and innovation/competitiveness.

Requirements: A bachelor’s or master’s degree in an S&T field with interest and some experience in the S&T policy field. Strong written and verbal communication skills are critical, especially the ability to present complex issues and recommendations to senior government officials. Knowledge of US Federal S&T agencies is desirable. An ideal candidate is innovative, aggressive, and self-starting.

STPI (http://www.ida.org/stpi/) assists the Executive Branch of the US government as it formulates federal S&T policy by providing objective, high-quality analytic support to policymakers. Chartered by an act of Congress in 1991, STPI supports the Office of Science and Technology Policy and other government users under the sponsorship of the National Science Foundation. Applicants selected will be subject to a security investigation and must meet eligibility requirements for access to classified information. U.S. citizenship is required. We are an Equal Opportunity Employer.

Resumes can be sent to:

Bhavya Lal
Science & Technology Policy Institute
1899 Pennsylvania Ave., NW
Suite 520
Washington, DC 20006-3602

New Course! Media, Public Opinion, and the 2008 Election

Announcing PUBP 4803 SH, a new special topics course being offered this fall.

Interested in Obama, McCain, Clinton, You Tube, CNN, ethnicity, gender, and the social and political future of America? Would you like to learn how scholars and experts in American politics, public opinion, and media think about campaigns and elections? If the answers are “yes”…this course is for you! Students will examine the nature of politics in the United States with a special focus on the 2008 presidential race. You will learn what is “normal” politics in this election campaign, and what is ground-breaking and fundamentally different, all within the context of the latest academic research.

Among the exciting aspects of the course will be a group project, where you will work with fellow students to study and advise (in theory!) the presidential campaigns, acting like media or public opinion consultants while the race is in progress. This is a one-of-a-kind course, a mix of theory and nuts/bolts practice, for students of any major with a great interest in elections, campaigns, and the future. We will work hard and have a lot of fun, watching debates together and analyzing the campaigns, the media, and how citizens respond to the candidates.

The professor for the course is Dr. Susan Herbst, a new faculty member in the School of Public Policy. She is the author of many books and articles on American politics and public opinion, including Reading Public Opinion: Political Actors View the Democratic Process (University of Chicago Press), Politics at the Margin: Historical Studies of Public Expression Outside the Mainstream (Cambridge University Press), and Numbered Voices: How Opinion Polling Has Shaped American Politics (University of Chicago Press). Since 1996, Herbst has been co-editor of the University of Chicago Press series, Studies in Political Communication, Media, and Public Opinion. She was a professor of political science and communication at Northwestern for many years and now is the Chief Academic Officer for the University System of Georgia.

Deans List and Faculty Honors Distinction

Congratulations to the 30 Public Policy majors that earned distinction of Deans List (3.0+) and Faculty Honors (4.0) in Spring 2008 for their Academic Performance.  Another 13 majors also earned GPA of 3.0+, but were not eligible for distinction based on the number of degree applicable hours they were taking.  This achievement is nonetheless also a great accomplishment!

Deans List and Faculty Honor letters are being mailed out during the next 2 weeks to your permanent address.

 

Internship in Florida

The School has been notified that a congressional candidate, Vern Buchanan, is seeking an intern for the summer. He is running for re-election in the 13th district in Florida, centered on Sarasota. Housing is provided. See http://www.vernbuchanan.com/ or http://buchanan.house.gov for more information.

Engineering and Public Policy

One of the advantages of studying public policy at Georgia Tech is our placement in the midst of some of the top engineering programs in the world. As you think about the connections between engineering problems and policy problems it might be interesting to ponder a report from the National Academy of Engineering on the “Grand Challenges for Engineering in the 21st Century.” The report is at

http://www.engineeringchallenges.org/

Here is the study’s list of major engineering challenges, ordered by priority as determined by visitors to the NAE site:
1. Make solar energy economical
2. Provide energy from fusion
3. Provide access to clean water
4. Reverse-engineer the brain
5. Advance personalized learning
6. Develop carbon sequestration methods
7. Restore and improve urban infrastructure
8. Engineer the tools of scientific discovery
9. Advance health informatics
10. Prevent nuclear terror
11. Engineer better medicines
12. Manage the nitrogen cycle
13. Secure cyberspace
14. Enhance virtual reality

Why not comment on this list? What’s missing? How can public policy — and those who know how to shape or analyze it — affect engineering approaches to addressing these challenges?

Summer Job- Law Firm

This opportunity will go fast.

Simpson Law Firm has a part-time Receptionist position, open.   It is a great opportunity to experience working in a law firm and a great introductory job.  It is part-time position, and the hours are 12:30pm to 6pm Monday thru Friday during the summer and 4 continuous hours two or three days a week during Fall semester.  Wage is $13/hour, and parking is free. We are a small very busy firm specializing in commercial litigation.  Firm information is below.  

Simpson Law Offices, L.L.P. 
One Securities Centre, Suite 300
3490 Piedmont Road, NE 
Atlanta, GA   30305 

Telephone 404.266.2421
Fax 404.266.9405

Interested applicants should send cover letter and resume to Carolyn Simpson at hr@simplawatlanta.com.

Intern/Part Time Analyst – Senate Budget & Evaluation Office

The Senate Budget & Evaluation Office (SBEO) is looking for an Intern/Part-Time Analyst. Interns in this position will assist a team of analysts in developing the Senate version of the budget for the State of Georgia. This position will help you gain experience in budgeting and public finance, develop expertise in a budget related policy area, and will provide opportunities for you to work directly with legislative budget writers.

Congratulations Spring 2008 GRADUATES

CONGRATULATIONS to the following students who earned their Bachelor of Science in Public Policy on May 3rd, 2008.

Ed Bolian- Honor

Margaret Burgess- Highest Honors

Connor Carolan-Tolbert- Honor

Taylor Chapman- High Honor

Laura DeMichelis

Hillary Lipko- High Honor

Brian Lynch- High Honor

Amanda McCallum- Highest Honors

Natalie McGee- Honor

Amanda Mueller- Honor

Reid Samuel

 

Summer Job Law Firm

A major Atlanta law firm is looking for electrical engineering majors to review technical documents. A legal background isn’t necessary. The job will pay somewhere between $20-$30 per hour and is expected to run throughout the summer. If you’re interested, send your resume to megan.martin@specialcounsel.com.

This will go fast, don’t wait to apply if interested.

GT1000 Team Leaders Needed

Dr. Barke will be teaching a section of GT 1000 this fall, meeting Tuesdays 1-2.  This section will include most of the incoming BSPP students as well as freshmen in other IAC majors.  He’s looking for several energetic, helpful, civic-minded policy students to work with him as Team Leaders.  He specifically asks for TLs who have ideas about making this GT1000 not only informative, but also fun.

If you’re interested, please email him at barke@gatech.edu.