Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology

Science Policy Program

What is the Science Policy Program?

This course focuses on the importance of understanding the intersection of science and public policy. Students will learn about policy methods, theories, and analysis through case study analysis of science policy and public funding of sciences. The heart of the program however, is students participating two afternoons a week at a Washington, DC think tank, academic policy institution, government agency or corporation. At this internship site---such as a Congressional office, the Environmental Protection Agency, the Center for Strategic and International Studies, and similar institutions--- students will work in a professional setting to experience the process of making national science policy. Every effort will be made to find a site that complements their senior research project. The Science Policy Program course will culminate with students making policy recommendations in their chosen field and explaining the impact these implications will have on society.    

What is Science Policy?

Science policy refers to the realm where science, government, and society intersect.

Science and Technology Policy Topics Include:

• Environmental and Natural Resource Policy (biotechnology, conservation, energy, oil, and natural resources, global warming, climate change, pollution, regulation, sustainable development, trade and environment, agriculture)
• Health and Medicine policy (biomedical research, global health, stem cell research, Avian Flu, HIV/AIDS, vaccines, pharmaceutical research, food and nutrition, and education)
• Military/Defense/Intelligence Policy (nuclear and chemical weapon, space technology, national missile defense)
• Global Poverty and Development Economics (debt sustainability, debt relief, development finance and foreign aid , institutional reform, emerging markets, growth, poverty reduction, and inequality, social safety nets, sustainable development, labor, digital divide)
• Computers and Information Technology
• Transportation and Infrastructure
• Space and Aeronautics
• Conflict and Security Policy
• Behavioral and Social Sciences
• Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) Education
• Science and Technology funding/budget issues (policy for science)

Possible Internship Locations:

• Capitol Hill (Senate and House Committees)
• Government agencies (such as the EPA, Department of Energy, General Accountability Office, Department of Transportation)
• Think Tanks (such as Brookings Institution, American Enterprise Institution, CSIS, RAND Corporation)
• Non-governmental organizations (such as the American Association for the Advancement of Science, National Academy of Sciences)

Course Schedule

Frequently Asked Questions

Contact information