S&T NEWS

THE JOURNAL OF SCIENCE POLICY & GOVERNANCE CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS

The Journal of Science Policy and Governance is an interdisciplinary journal that seeks high-quality submissions on emerging or continuing policy debates. Current students (undergraduate or graduate) and recent graduates within three years of earning a degree are eligible to submit. We seek to publish articles on a variety of policy areas including: scientific research, engineering, innovation, technology transfer, commercialization, bio-medicine, drug development, energy, the environment, climate change, the application of technology in developing countries, STEM education, and space exploration. For Submission Guidelines please see the Journal of Science Policy website or email jofspg@gmail.com. Submission Deadline is October 28, 2011.

GORDON RESEARCH SEMINAR ON SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY POLICY

The Gordon Research Seminar on Science & Technology Policy is a unique forum for graduate students, post-docs, and other scientists with comparable levels of experience and education to present and exchange new data and cutting edge ideas. We invite abstract submissions for presentations and posters by scholars and practitioners in: economics, science and engineering, science and technology policy, and science and technology studies.

The theme of the 2012 meeting is “The International Context of Science and Technology Policy”. The keynote will discuss conflict, cooperation, collaboration and competition in science and technology policy. We hope (but do not require) that the presentations and posters will raise questions such as:

• Which international institutions, multinational corporations, and non-governmental organizations are demonstrating promising results in collaborative efforts to address global health issues?
• How has international conflict co-produced energy regimes and security?

• Is science and technology policy for energy shaped by an intense competition and/or mutual collaboration between national programs striving towards the Green Economy?
• How does the interest in Global Climate Change affect other global issues and their policy solutions?
• How do multilateral policies shape cooperation around issues of energy, health, and the environment?
• How is civil society implicated in these processes of conflict, cooperation, collaboration and competition?
  

While covering broad themes of health, energy, and the environment, this particular conference is encouraging junior scholars to examine the international implications of their policy case studies and theory. This seminar will include a career panel of recent graduates who have gone into science and technology policy research or practice.

For more information or to submit your application, please go to the
Gordon Research Seminar for Science and Technology Policy 2012 website.

S&T Jobs

Please visit our jobs page. Recent postings include:

• Dartmouth College, Assistant Professor, Environmental Studies (posted 9/16/11)
• Geological Society of America, Director of Geoscience Policy (posted 9/2/11)
• Morris K. Udall and Stewart L. Foundation, Native American Congressional Internship Program - Program Manager (posted 9/29/11)
• New York University, Clinical Assistant Professor of Environmental Studies (posted 9/8/11)
• University of Arizona, School of Government and Public Policy - Environmental Politics (posted 9/12/11)

S&T NEWS

NATIONAL PARK SERVICE
CLIMATE CHANGE RESPONSE PROGRAM

The George Melendez Wright Climate Change Youth Initiative gives unique opportunities to undergraduate and graduate students to work on projects related to climate change in National Parks. There are two programs within this Initiative.

Internship Program
Paid 12-week internships with park housing often included. Work with NPS staff on science, communication, and mitigation projects. Examples include:

• Monitoring greenhouse gases in alpine tundra at Rocky Mountain National Park.
• Developing educational displays and programs on climate change at Cape Cod National Seashore.
• Helping North Cascades National Park meet its sustainability goals and reduce the carbon footprint of its operations.

Fellowship Program
The fellowship program supports research relevant to managing climate change impacts in US National Parks, including transboundary issues and comparisons to Mexican or Canadian protected areas.

These are one-year awards of up to $20,000 for students enrolled in Masters and Ph.D. programs in the US, Canada, and Mexico. Examples include:

• Assessing effects of ocean acidification on marine invertebrates in Channel Islands National Park.
• Predicting how climate-induced changes in fire regime will affect mercury transport in Mesa Verde National Park.
• Understanding how forests and human communities are affected by decline of the significant Yellow Cedar in Glacier Bay National Park.
  

How to Apply
Both programs are best suited to students in natural, social, and cultural sciences; education; communications; resource management; public policy; or disciplines relevant to a public agency that manages natural, cultural, and historic resources.

The internship program is run in cooperation with the National Council for Science and the Environment. Specific internship openings and application directions will be available in March on the NCSE website.

The fellowship program is run in cooperation with the University of Washington. On-line applications will be accepted beginning in November on the UW website.

George Melendez Wright was deeply influential in bringing science to America’s national parks. As a child he fell in love with the natural environments of northern California. He pursued that love by working as a naturalist in Yosemite National Park. While there, he saw many problems with park wildlife and realized that good science is needed for effective conservation.

In 1929, Wright started a survey of wildlife and the threats they faced across all the National Parks, with the aim of recommending actions to restore and manage natural populations. In 1930, he was appointed Chief of the Wildlife Division for the National Park Service. As a result of his work, the NPS began moving away from practices like feeding bears to entertain tourists, and embraced science-based approaches to conserving species, habitats, and other natural conditions in the parks.