Dr. Rush Holt — current CEO of the American Association for the Advancement of Science — sat down to talk with us at the Advocating for Science Symposium organized by the Future of Research and the Academies for the Future of Science. Coming to the AAAS with 16 years experience in politics as New Jersey’s 12th district Representative, Dr. Holt’s training as a physicist and work as assistant director of the Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory generates a lens that is a unique fusion of basic research, legislation, and advocacy. We were excited to talk to Dr. Holt about his thoughts on the direction of the AAAS, building an appreciation for scientific evidence, and what graduate school isn’t teaching its students.
Here are some of the links and references mentioned during the show:
- Avital’s not the only Rush Holt fanboy. Check out this article from The Atlantic on why Dr. Holt might have been the most interesting man in Washington.
- Check out our hosts, the Future of Research (FoR) and Academics for the Future of Science (AFS) to learn more about what they’re doing to change the future of science
- We would be remiss not to mention the AAAS Science & Technology Policy Fellowship — a phenomenal opportunity for people interested in policy after their PhD.
- Want to learn more about the 2001 anthrax attack? The Wiki page has a detailed description.
- With the need for more scientists to become engaged in policy and outreach, one aspect commonly talked about by the Science Soapbox team is the push for change in academia’s regards for the ‘alternative’ career. Maryam wrote a fascinating link-rich piece this past month for Chronicle Vitae.
This episode was recorded on September 16, 2016 at MIT during the Advocating for Science Symposium. Special thanks to Visager for music and to the Future of Research and the Academics for the Future of Science for making this interview possible. Rights to the image use were purchased from the AP.