About the AMS Science Policy Colloquium

The AMS Science 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
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

The 2025 AMS Science 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, June 1 - Friday, June 6, 2025. A virtual session in early May 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 June 1 arrival in Washington, DC).

Follow-on virtual sessions in summer 2025 (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-private-academic partnerships, domestically and internationally
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 $4,700 includes all sessions, workshops, tours/briefings, and materials. Please note: the $4,700 tuition fee does not include room and board or travel
Students and faculty members can apply for financial support. A funding award covers the tuition fee, room and board, and travel. Faculty members must be from an HBCU or MSI in order to qualify for funding
Early and mid-career scientists and professionals can apply for the Hooke Fellowship in Policy and Leadership to cover the costs of tuition, room and board, and travel
In-person sessions will take place in downtown Washington DC
Hotel room block available at the Washington Marriott at Metro Center

Past agendas

Download the 2024 in-person agenda here.

Download the 2023 in-person agenda here.

Download the 2022 in-person 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:

Introductions to the U.S. Federal budget process:
- CBPP: Introduction to the Federal Budget Process
- AAAS: The Federal Budget Process 101
- CRS: Introduction to the Federal Budget Process
Understanding the U.S. Congress
- CRS: Committee Types and Roles (House and Senate)
- CRS: Introduction to the Legislative Process
- CRS: The Committee System in the U.S. Congress
Understanding the White House
- The White House Transition Project
- WHTP: An Insiders Guide to the Office of Management and Budget
Introduction to U.S. science policy
- Beyond Sputnik: U.S. Science Policy in the 21st Century, Homer Alfred Neal, Tobin Smith, and Jennifer McCormick (400pp). If you need assistance acquiring this book, contact [email protected].
Working with Congress: A Scientist’s Guide to Policy, Kasey. S. White and Joanne C. Carney (78pp)
The legislative language for the group exercise (this will be assigned later)

Where are they now?

The first Science Policy Colloquium (formerly the Summer Policy Colloquium) was held in 2001 for about 40 bright minds from the AMS community who showed interest in and potential to contribute significantly to the policy process. To date, over 800 such individuals have completed the program. They have proceeded through their careers to roles such as:

Congressional staff in personal offices
Serving on congressional committees such as the Select Committee on Global Warming & Energy Independence
University leadership positions such as faculty chair and dean
NGO think tanks
High level government positions including leadership of the National Weather Service (NWS), the Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP), and the U.S. Global Change Research Program (USGCRP)
Greater corporate sector responsibilities
AMS Policy Program