MIT Science Policy Initiative

10/11/2022

Our first book club of the year will be on Resilient Society by Markus Brunnermeier! The discussion will take place on Wednesday October 26 at 5pm. The book is *FREE* for everyone who attends the discussion (only available to MIT affiliated people, reimbursement instructions to follow after the meeting). For more information, check out the interest form.

It's an awesome read, look forward to a lively discussion!

Interest form for Fall 2022 book club: Resilient Society by Markus Brunnermeier. Note this year we will *ONLY* be reimbursing books for those who attend the discussion on Wednesday, October 26th at 5 pm. Location 3-108, in person. We cannot reimburse tax & we will be reimbursing up to $25 from indep...

09/15/2022

SPI is hosting a kickoff event TONIGHT (Thursday 9/15)! It will be from 5-7pm in the MIT Kendall open space (behind MIT medical). Come by for some Mamaleh’s sandwiches and to chat with people interested in science policy!

09/13/2022

*Applications for Executive Visit Days are now open! DEADLINE TO APPLY IS FRIDAY SEPT 16 AT 5PM*

**This event is only open to current MIT undergraduate and graduate students.

-> Learn how scientists can make an impact working in the federal government!
-> The Science Policy Initiative (SPI) Executive Visit Days will take place IN PERSON from October 16 to October 18 (travel and food expenses will be reimbursed up to $250).
-> You will get to meet with agencies such as NSF, DOE, DARPA, NASA, NIH, OSTP, etc.
-> Find more info and apply at

***Application Deadline: Friday, September 16, 2022 at 5:00 pm*** The MIT Science Policy Initiative (SPI) is coordinating the twelfth annual Executive Visit Days (ExVD) on Sunday, October 16th through Tuesday, October 18th, 2022 ***IN-PERSON*** in Washington, D.C. The program's aim is to explore the...

07/30/2022

It's time to introduce out exec team for the upcoming year! We're starting off by spotlighting our new President, Laura Brandt, and our new External Relations chair, Emma Batson.

Laura Brandt is a PhD student from Wisconsin in the department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science (EECS). Her research currently lies at the intersection of robot vision, vision science, and human cognition. In the past, she made electronics for Venus probes, built telescopes, and designed sensors that kept rocket engines from exploding. She holds a SM EECS from MIT and a BS EECS/BA Physics from UC Berkeley. Laura has previously served on the CSAIL Postdoc & Graduate Student Council (CPGSC).

Emma Batson is a 3rd year PhD student in electrical engineering researching superconducting detectors and other quantum-adjacent electronics. Before her PhD she worked with everything from CRISPR to plant pathology to power grid research. In her spare time, she is steadily developing a large collection of houseplants and getting more involved in the broader Cambridge community.

Tune in next week for more intros!

02/09/2022

A reminder that this year's MIT SPI Congressional Visit Days (CVD)​ application is due TODAY at 5 PM EST! Join us in DC and speak directly with your congressional representatives' offices to advocate for basic science research.

Apply now!

*** Application Deadline: Wednesday, February 9th at 5 PM EST *** The MIT Science Policy Initiative will be coordinating our 2022 Congressional Visit Days (CVD) on April 4th and 5th. Through a seminar series in collaboration with the MIT Washington Office, you will learn how to schedule and lead con...

01/23/2022

Check out our newest blog post by our special events coordinator Willie Boag on our book club series!

Starting in Fall 2020, the Science Policy Initiative has hosted a well-attended Book Club. We read one book per semester and discuss each over multiple sessions. In Fall 2020, we read Upstream by Dan Heath. For Spring 2021, we solicited suggestions via Google Form and then voted on candidates, ultim...

12/07/2021

Applications (due 12/17) are now open for our IAP Science and Technology Policy Bootcamp! It's a 5-day, 3 credit course that teaches the fundamental structures and dynamics of science policy.

Apply here: http://tinyurl.com/stp-bootcamp

11/07/2021

We recently wrapped up our Executive Visit Days (ExVD) program, where a group of MIT students spent three days meeting with 17 different executive branch agencies and policymakers! This year ExVD was held virtually, but in non-Covid years (hopefully next fall!) it’s fully in-person in Washington, D.C. Participants gained insight on the collaborative nature of policy making and how an MIT education can be put to use solving some of the hardest problems facing our country.
https://mitspi.squarespace.com/exvd

09/15/2021

Applications are now open for MIT’s Science Policy Initiative Executive Visit Days! See https://mitspi.squarespace.com/exvd/ or below for more details.

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Join other MIT students and researchers for this year's Executive Visit Days (ExVD), coordinated by the Science Policy Initiative! We will spend three days meeting with executive agencies and discussing science and technology policy issues. This is a great opportunity to learn about impactful career paths for scientists and engineers in the federal government. Most of this year’s ExVD will be virtual due to the pandemic, but we are exploring options to meet on MIT’s campus as a cohort and to meet with MIT faculty who have worked in or engaged with federal agencies.

ExVD will take place from October 25 to October 27. Food during ExVD, including the planning meeting, will be reimbursed. Find more information at https://mitspi.squarespace.com/exvd/. Applications due by Monday, September 27 at 5:00 pm.

07/09/2021

Join me in welcoming our newly-elected MIT SPI Executive Board! We're excited to start the year strong and hopefully will get to see our fellow science policy enthusiasts in person again soon.

Leadership

03/07/2021

Mark your calendars for our Friday SciPol discussion series! 11am-noon ET on...
3/19 : Free Speech (https://forms.gle/e87BQsJk2vZxdeyYA)
4/16 : Open Access Science (https://forms.gle/D8HT7sMsjSYSZpVL6)
5/14 : Recycling (https://forms.gle/7VaiHu89aWGHUn7M8)

Every month, the MIT Science Policy Initiative hosts a lunchtime discussion about special topics in science and technology policy. So bring your lunch and come ready to talk! This event is open to MIT affiliates. This month (May), the topic is The Reality of Recycling. When: Friday May 14 from 11am-...

03/06/2021

After a few-year hiatus, we're back on Facebook!! Celebrate by joining the MIT SPI Book Club!

This semester we'll read "Why We're Polarized" by Ezra Klein and meet twice to discuss on Thu Mar 11 @ 5-6:30pm ET and Fri Apr 9 @ 6-7:30pm ET. RSVP here:

Join the SPI Book Club! This semester we'll read "Why We're Polarized" by Ezra Klein and meet twice to discuss on Thu Mar 11 @ 5-6:30pm ET and Fri Apr 9 @ 6-7:30pm ET. Open to MIT affiliates. RSVP required: YES, for the Zoom link.