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Science Policy News
Connecting ASA Members to Policymakers
Steve Pierson, ASA Director of Science Policy
T
he ASA has ter- for federal funding needed for basic research being careful not to choose so many that the
rific potential in the physical sciences. ASA has no effect on any. I will work with
to influence I enjoyed the challenges of determining ASA members, leadership, staff, and commit-
science policy because effective methods and choosing the right tees to determine possible topics on which to
its members are knobs to turn. I had to consider messag- work. The criteria to winnow down the list
involved in issues rang- ing, grassroots support, media angles, vehi- will include importance to ASA members,
ing from health studies cles for channeling support, partnerships, vehicles (bills, agency mandates, panel or
and election auditing coalitions, VIP support, and the list goes committee appointments, etc.) to accom-
Pierson
to climate change and on. With 535 U.S. senators and represen- plish the objective, the role statistics plays,
census counts. You— tatives and a large federal bureaucracy, I the amount of support (or opposition) from
the members—have expertise that is invalu- needed criteria for determining to whom other groups, and the benefit to the ASA.
able to policy decisions. My role is to facilitate to advocate. I also needed to find ways to My role is not to be the person who
connections between you—the experts—and convince physicists that visiting and/or injects statistics into science policy, but
the policymakers. To accomplish this, I need communicating with Congress was effec- rather the facilitator, with you—the mem-
your help. tive and, therefore, worth taking the time bers—as the “injectors.” The ASA will
How does one become a science policy out of their busy schedules to do. accomplish much more in science policy
person? For me, it started six years ago With the ASA, I still will be advocating this way. To become the facilitator for the
when I spent my sabbatical from Worcester for federal support of basic research funding ASA’s science policy, I will spend my initial
Polytechnic Institute with the Washington within agencies important to ASA members. time learning about the ASA, its members,
Office of the American Physical Society. I But, my charge also is to ensure statistics and the playing field.
never imagined myself as a lobbyist (nor plays a larger role in policymaking. The latter I need your help in learning about poten-
was it ever my aspiration). But, I quickly is a broad mandate, the first step of which tial policy matters, statistics, the marketing of
assumed the responsibilities of advocating is to determine the issues on which to focus, the ASA and statistics, and the federal or state
agencies with whom—or for whom—many
of you work. Being a firm believer in the effec-
tiveness of grassroots activity, I also will need
your help advocating for policy change.
I recognize many of you are already influ-
encing science policy. I wish to learn from
you and help to amplify your efforts. If you
have recommendations for policy matters
on which the ASA should act, please email
them to me. I am already aware of members
working on election audits, data sharing for
health studies, federal funding for research,
and climate change issues. Similarly, please
send me examples of instances in which you
have played a role in influencing policy using
your statistics expertise.
To convince policymakers to listen to
statisticians, or to convince the federal gov-
ernment to fund more statistics research, we
will have to educate them about what statis-
tics is and how it benefits society. I referred to
this above as marketing the ASA and statis-
tics. I would appreciate your help in this mar-
keting effort if you would provide concrete
examples of statistics benefiting society.
I’m excited (and honored) to be the
ASA’s first director of science policy and
look forward to interactions with you—the
members, aka “injectors.” ■
26 AMSTAT NEWS MAY 2008
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