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Environment
ACS Brings Science To Congress
Nearly two decades old, ACS program hosts 200th science briefing on Capitol Hill
by Sophia L. Cai
December 23, 2013
| A version of this story appeared in
Volume 91, Issue 51
The American Chemical Society’s Science & the Congress Project held its 200th briefing on Capitol Hill last month. Titled “Tooling the U.S. Bioeconomy: Synthetic Biology,” the briefing’s panel was composed of experts in the synthetic biology field from academia, industry, and a national laboratory. Panelists presented on and fielded questions about synthetic biology’s environmental sustainability, technological and consumer challenges, and policy implications.
The project was launched in 1995 in response to the dismantling of science and technology resources for congressional staff, explains Darcy Gentleman, a project coordinator and public policy communications manager with the ACS Office of Public Affairs. The project sought to fill the void for scientific educational and informational programming for government leaders and their staff.
Nearly 20 years later, the Science & the Congress Project remains a nonadvocacy, nonpartisan program that hosts panel presentations and discussions about once per month that are open to all Capitol Hill staffers. The aim of the program is to highlight the importance of science and technology to the U.S.’s national goals, as well as to raise scientific literacy within the government.
Hosting and sponsorship come from ACS, but briefings are frequently cohosted by members of Congress. Democratic and Republican congressional leaders from the House of Representatives and the Senate have cohosted the majority of briefings held in the past decade.
Panels take months to organize, says Gentleman, who is currently coordinating the briefings. Not only should the panel provide a balanced exploration of the topic, but it is also critical that the group communicate clearly with a nonscientific, policy-oriented audience.
Briefings generally fit into one of four topics: energy and climate; R&D, innovation, and science policy; science education and the workforce; or chemicals management and the environment, health, and safety. The most recent briefing was held on Dec. 12 on the topic of biobased feedstocks. The panel was moderated by C&EN Senior Correspondent Stephen K. Ritter and included recent Presidential Green Chemistry Challenge Award winner Richard P. Wool of the University of Delaware.
“As cochair of the House Science & National Labs Caucus, I know how important STEM education is for the future success of our nation and improving the quality of our lives. Because of the diverse backgrounds of my colleagues, many have not had time to delve deep into areas of science and build up their knowledge on key issues facing the nation. Congressional briefings like the American Chemical Society’s Science & the Congress Project are a way to build up members’ technical knowledge in science and show how that knowledge can affect their policy decisions. With so many issues dominating the public consciousness nationally and in Washington, it takes a steady, long-term effort like these briefings to educate colleagues on issues that affect our national labs, the scientific community, and the country.”
- Rep. Randy M. Hultgren (R-Ill.), honorary cohost of the Feb. 13 “Turning E-Waste into Green” briefing.
“From energy innovation and modern manufacturing to STEM education and global competitiveness, a solid grounding in the latest advancements in science and technology is critical to effective policy-making. For nearly two decades, the American Chemical Society’s Science & the Congress Project has been an invaluable resource to policymakers, offering expert analysis of current scientific issues that has helped to inform and enhance our national policy debates. I’m proud to have worked with ACS to organize a number of these important briefings and am thankful for its continued commitment to advancing scientific knowledge in Congress.”
- Sen. Christopher Coons (D-Del.), honorary cohost of the Dec. 12 briefing on biobased feedstocks and the June 19 briefing on girls and women in STEM.
ACS Science&The Congress Project
First briefing: “Risk 101 for Congress,” Feb. 21, 1995
50th briefing: “Tiny Dynamite: The Nanotechnology Revolution,” Jan. 18, 2000
100th briefing: “Science & Technology in the Intelligence Community,” March 11, 2005
150th briefing: “STEM Professionals in the Classroom: Volunteering To Improve K–12 Education,” Feb. 2, 2010
200th briefing: “Tooling the U.S. Bioeconomy: Synthetic Biology,” Nov. 5, 2013
Most attended (211 attendees): “STEM Education, Girls, & the Challenges That Follow: From the Classroom to STEM Careers,” July 16, 2008, 129th briefing
Recent briefings have attracted 80 to 100 attendees
More than 50 briefings have had more than 100 attendees; three have had 200 or moreRecorded number of attendees for all briefings through October 2013 is more than 16,500
A few notable panelists in the past five years:
• Bill Nye, “The Science Guy”
• Steven J. Duclos, chief scientist at General Electric
• Jane Lubchenco, then-administrator of the National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration
• Steven E. Koonin, then-undersecretary for science at the Department of Energy
• Anna Maria Chávez, CEO of the Girl Scouts of the USA
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