Resources

News sources:

If you want to become an expert on science and technology policy generally, I recommend the following news sources.

  • Following the major science policy news orgs. The journal Science typically has coverage of any major issue. The journal Issues in Science and Technology consistently has some of the most thoughtful analyses of science policy, and is also a good publication venue for work at the intersection of policy and philosophy of science.

  • FYI Science Policy does great email summaries across a range of topics.

  • Learning what’s new in science budgets is perhaps the best way to see what major science policy topics are. Budgets are supposed to be released in February every year, though that’s been delayed in recent years. AAAS’s budget shop does great coverage of budget rollout

For whatever area of science policy you want to focus on (such as health, agriculture, etc), find out who the major journalists are for that beat. Following them on twitter and reading their updates can help you follow the informal context of what’s going on.

Podcasts:

David Storey’s “Wisdom at Work” podcast has interviewed some historians/philosophers who work in government, such as a former PMF at US Department of Agriculture. 

Event series in DC:

The Engaging Scientist and Engineers in Policy (ESEP) network does happy hours in the DC area.

The DC office of ASU’s Consortium for Science, Policy and Outcomes event listserve brings in a lot of thoughtful speakers, including some philosophers.

For any specific area of science policy, like agriculture or health, there usually are speaking series and happy hours, that are organized by the communities, contractors and universities that support the mission of the agency.