My Career: Science, Research, Policy, and Ethics
Science Policy and Advocacy
Over the year I have served in several leadership roles related to science policy and advocacy. From 2006-2011, I was the Chair of the National Academies Board on Behavioral, Cognitive, and Sensory Sciences; a member-at-large of the Board of the Federation of Associations in Behavioral and Brain Sciences (FABBS); and the co-leader of the Yale-Haskins Teagle Foundation Collegium on Student Learning. I am also the former Chairman of the Board of the Discovery Museum and Planetarium (now SHU Discovery Museum) in Bridgeport, Connecticut, where I also worked with museum staff, trustees, city and state representatives, and others to establish the Discovery Magnet School on museum grounds, the first pre-K to 8 inter-district public magnet school in the region with a science theme.
I am currently the President and chair of the Board of Directors of the Federation of Associations in Behavioral and Brain Sciences (FABBS), a non-profit organization made up of 26 behavioral and brain scientific societies, over 50 academic departments, and other affiliates. Together, we work to advance the understanding of behavior, decision making, and cognitive function of the brain and to improve quality of life through advocacy, communication, and education. Examples of the resources and education that we provide to our members include the creation of a Public Scholarship Toolkit for researchers looking to communicate their work with a broader audience and a teaching compendium of articles from our journal, Policy Insights from the Behavioral and Brain Sciences (PIBBS), edited by Susan Fiske, sorted by topic with ways to enhance psychology curricula. We also collaborate with the broader community to advance the behavioral and brain sciences. FABBS recently sponsored a consensus study from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, now published as “Ontologies in the Behavioral Sciences: Accelerating Research and the Spread on Knowledge.” We continue to publish our twice-monthly newsletter, sharing policy news, advocacy opportunities, and highlighting work in our fields. In addition, we have created a new committee, chaired by Robert Sellers and Sandra Graham, focusing on issues of inclusion, diversity, equity, and accessibility, within our communities and our organization.
FABBS advocacy efforts, led by our Executive Director, Juliane Baron, working closely with other staff, our Board, our Council, and member organizations, encompass a broad range of relevant policy issues and policymakers across Federal Agencies, Congress, and the Administration. This includes providing input on the new Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health (ARPA-H) and informing Congressional efforts to reauthorize and modernize the National Science Foundation. FABBS works with executive branch officials, submitting letters and comments to federal agencies to share our community’s insights on issues ranging from equity, to pandemic preparedness, to agency strategic plans. Earlier this year, the FABBS 2022 Advocacy Outlook provided a primer on FABBS advocacy activities and opportunities for researchers to get involved. Our annual FABBS Accomplishments offers a more thorough look at the full extent of FABBS advocacy.
See, also:
My Career: Science, Research, Policy, and Ethics
Ethical Issues Related to Research and Technology
White House Office of Science and Technology Policy
List of Science and Policy RolesDownload CV as a PDF fileWikipedia pageHOME