About the Colloquium

The AMS Climate Policy Colloquium:

  • Provides an overview of policy basics, and how decisions are made governing the course and future of earth and atmospheric sciences
  • Provides opportunities for participants to meet and dialog with the federal officials, Congressional staffers and others who make those decisions
  • Surveys current science policy issues, with a focus on climate
  • Uses the case study method to explore a limited number of issues, both past and present, in depth and detail
  • Helps participants build skills, experience, and contacts they can use throughout their careers to understand and influence the policy process
  • Helps participants gauge their aptitude for and interest in the challenges of matching science to national priorities, and scientific program leadership

Who can attend?

  • Early and mid-level federal managers and scientists
  • Mid-level private-sector executives
  • University faculty
  • Selected graduate students and postdoctoral fellows of demonstrated scientific and leadership potential

Format

This year’s AMS Climate Policy Colloquium will be held in a hybrid format, consisting of both in-person and virtual sessions. In-person sessions will take place in Washington DC from Sunday, December 15 - Thursday, December 19, 2024. A virtual session in early December will provide participants a Colloquium overview as well as an opportunity for self-introductions. A follow-up virtual session will introduce participants to the group legislative exercise (at that time participants will be assigned to small groups who may subsequently schedule their own virtual sessions to continue the group exercise prior to the December 15 arrival in Washington, DC).

Follow-on virtual sessions (exact dates to be determined) will explore a range of additional topics that complement the in-person sessions. These topics involve policy-players widely dispersed geographically (in some cases globally) and so best lend themselves to the virtual format. Featured topics may include:

  • Public communication
  • Place-based (state and local) science-policy engagement

Virtual sessions will likely last 2 hours with one or two sessions on the scheduled days.

All Colloquium sessions will be held under a modified version of the Chatham House Rule:

Participants are free to use the information received at the Colloquium but attribution of speakers' remarks is not allowed without express permission.

The Chatham House Rule originated at Chatham House with the aim of providing anonymity to speakers and to encourage openness and the sharing of information. It is now used throughout the world as an aid to free discussion. Meetings do not have to take place at Chatham House, or be organized by Chatham House, to be held under the Rule.

Additional details

  • Participation is limited to no more than 40 participants
  • Attendance at all in-person sessions is required. Attendance at virtual sessions, while not mandatory, is highly recommended as an opportunity to expand upon material covered in the in-person sessions and to network with peers and experts in the policy arena
  • A tuition fee of $2,900 includes all sessions, workshops, tours/briefings, and materials. Please note: the $2,900 tuition fee does not include room and board or travel
  • Students and postdoctoral researchers can apply for financial support. A funding award covers the tuition fee, room and board, and travel. Partial support may also be available.
  • In-person sessions will take place in downtown Washington DC

Preliminary agenda

Download a preliminary agenda here.

Please note participants are expected to attend all in-person sessions. Participants use breaks and meals to work on group exercises and for networking. The Colloquium is an intensive experience. Multi-tasking during the sessions is highly discouraged and will lessen the impact of the course.

Reading materials

The experience is most rewarding to participants who have done preparatory reading. We recommend: