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​Washington, DC (June 18, 2020) – The Journal of Science Policy & Governance (JSPG) is pleased to announce that the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) Science & Technology Policy Fellowships program (STPF) will join forces to co-issue the 2020 JSPG summer standard issue.
 
Amid a global pandemic, a rapidly deteriorating climate, an intensified global national security and digital environment, coupled with deep social unrest, the need for students, policy fellows, and early career researchers of all academic and professional backgrounds to shape the world’s policy and governance structures around science, technology, and innovation has never been greater.
 
Hosted at the world’s largest general science society, the STPF program has helped thousands of scientists and engineers learn about and contribute first-hand to the policymaking process via yearlong fellowships in the federal sector. JSPG and STPF share a mission of connecting science with policy and fostering a network of science and engineering leaders prepared to develop and execute solutions to address societal challenges. 
 
As part of the partnership, STPF and JSPG will co-host a webinar highlighting how both organizations have advanced the career development of many researchers. “Above all, the AAAS Science & Technology Policy Fellowship is a highly impactful, educational opportunity, so partnerships with organizations like JSPG really help move our mission forward,” said Dr. Jennifer Pearl, STPF Director. Dr. Pearl will author the cover memo to frame the summer standard issue, drawing attention to the unique role of researchers in advancing sound science policy.
 
“We are pleased to partner with such an important and powerful catalyst for scientists and engineers to contribute to public policy. The AAAS Science & Technology Policy Fellows have driven impact all across government for decades, and JSPG looks forward to advancing our mutual goals,” said Shalin Jyotishi, Chief Executive Officer of the Journal of Science Policy & Governance.
 
“As a former Editor-in-Chief for JSPG and an STPF alumnus, I could not be more delighted to see these two organizations partner together to address critical science policy issues during these turbulent times. Given their synergistic commitments to advance science policy, this partnership can provide a platform for science policy professionals to engage in urgent public policy conversations,” said Lida Beninson, a Senior Program Officer at the U.S. National Academies of Science, Engineering, and Medicine who serves on the JSPG Governing Board.

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ABOUT JSPG
The Journal of Science Policy & Governance (JSPG) is a nonprofit organization and open-access peer- reviewed publication managed by and for students, policy fellows, and young scholars in science, technology, and innovation policy. Since 2011, JSPG has served as a vehicle for students and early career researchers to bolster their research and writing credentials in science policy. Visit sciencepolicyjournal.org and follow on Twitter @SciPolJournal to learn more. 

​ABOUT AAAS S&T POLICY FELLOWSHIPS
AAAS Science & Technology Policy Fellowships (STPF) provide opportunities to outstanding scientists and engineers to learn first-hand about policymaking and contribute their knowledge and analytical skills in the policy realm. Fellows serve yearlong assignments in the federal government and represent a broad range of backgrounds, disciplines, and career stages. Each year, STPF adds to a growing corps over 3,400 strong of policy-savvy leaders working across academia, government, nonprofits, and industry to serve the nation and citizens around the world. Visit https://bit.ly/2XUtJQ9 and follow on Twitter @AAAS_STPF to learn more.

Chief Outreach Officer for the Journal of Science Policy & Governance, Adriana Bankston, helped coordinate and organize a new certificate program in Science Policy & Advocacy for STEM Scientists. Led and hosted by University of California, Irvine’s GPS-STEM Public Policy Prep (P3) program, this online course is organized in conjunction with The Journal of Science Policy and Governance (JSPG)  and UCI’s Ridge to Reef program with contributions from the Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS).

Learn more about the program on the course website here.

Below is the course introduction and press release, more information can be found here.

JSPG CEO and UNMGCY member Shalin Jyotishi presented the issue and a brief testimony to share the views of early career scientists, engineers, and policy professionals on these topics during the 23rd Session of the United Nations Commission on Science and Technology for Development (CSTD) virtual meeting. CSTD is housed within the UN Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD).  This opportunity provided an avenue to elevate the voices of the next generation before high-level foreign government leaders. The meeting was focused on  i) harnessing rapid technological change for inclusive and sustainable development, and 2) exploring space technologies for sustainable development. Given the COVID-19 pandemic, the meeting also covered how international collaboration is needed to promote the use of science, technology, and innovation (STI) for tackling the pandemic and addressing its impact in an equitable way.

Washington, DC – The Journal of Science Policy & Governance (JSPG), is proud to announce the release of its Special Issue on the Impacts of Emerging Technologies on Inequality and Sustainability. This issue was produced in collaboration with the United Nations Major Group for Children and Youth (UN MGCY), the formal mechanism for children and youth to engage in the United Nations, including the implementation, follow-up, and review of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Sustainable Development Goals are 17 interconnected goals for countries to achieve by 2030, aiming to address the issues of poverty, inequality, climate change, environmental degradation, peace, and justice to "achieve a better and more sustainable future for all."

In the fall of 2019, the JSPG and the UN MGCY teamed up to launch a joint call for submissions for a special topics issue around the "implications of emerging technologies on inequalities and sustainable development." 

As a result, the new issue "spans a variety of topics and styles, touching on critical issues of technology access and implementation, looking at assistive technologies and sanitary technologies, to UN policies, such as coordination of international aid, to tackling new areas where policy is necessary, such as the need for stronger planetary protection policy," said JSPG Assistant Editor-in-Chief for Special Issues, Madeleine Jennewein. "The six articles with authors from five nations, represent a broad work of scholarship on diverse areas that are critical to tackling the UN's development goals."

In a statement for the issue, the Director of Division on Technology and Logistics for the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development, Shamika N. Sirimanne said, "Rapid technological change could be transformative in implementing the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, and several frontier technologies have shown great potential to help to achieve the SDGs. At the same time, frontier technologies could also have unintended consequences, potentially widening inequalities or creating new ones. In this regard, I welcome this initiative by JSPG and UNMGCY to engage young researchers to improve our understanding of multidimensional implications of emerging technologies."

Submissions to this special issue aim to inform discussions at the 2020 Commission on Science & Technology for Development, including the deliberations around the 2020 Technology and Innovation Report as well as the Multi-Stakeholder Forum on Science, Technology & Innovation on SDGs.

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ABOUT JSPG
The Journal of Science Policy & Governance (JSPG) is a nonprofit organization and open-access, peer-reviewed publication managed by and for students, policy fellows, and scholars in science, technology, and innovation policy. Since 2011, JSPG has provided students and early career researchers a vehicle to bolster their research and writing credentials in science policy. Visit sciencepolicyjournal.org and follow @SciPolJournal on Twitter to learn more.

ABOUT UN MGCY
The UN Major Group for Children and Youth (MGCY) is the General Assembly-mandated official, formal, and self-organised space for children and youth to contribute to and engage in certain intergovernmental and allied policy processes at the UN since 1992. Our mission is to bridge children and youth and the UN system in order to ensure that their right to meaningful participation is realised. The UN MGCY, through its Youth Science-Policy Interface Platform, provides an open platform to engage young people from across the globe on topics related to science, technology, and innovation policy. Visit unmgcy.org and follow @UNMGCY on Twitter to learn more.

Science Debate asks candidates, elected officials, the public and the media to focus more on science policy issues of vital importance to modern life. As a registered 501(c)(3), Science Debate is nonpartisan. Under the partnership, JSPG and Science Debate will cross promote and explore collaborative strategies to engage students, postdocs, and early career researchers in science, technology, and innovation policy election debates.