Over the next few weeks, Masako Chen (C’11) and three of her classmates in the innovative Shaping National Science Policy seminar will begin lobbying nearly a dozen congressional members who specialize in transportation, energy and bicycle use.
"We’re getting the wheels turning for city bike-sharing programs across the country," said Chen, whose Spokes in the City team is one of the student groups in the seminar offered through Georgetown’s Science in the Public Interest (SPI) program.
The seminar is taught by Georgetown’s Upjohn Lecturer on Physics and Public Policy and SPI founder Francis Slakey and biology lecturer Karen Wayland.
Throughout the semester, the professors and students delve deeper into navigating the political system, helped by lectures from congressional science staff, science journalists, lobbyists and pollsters. The seminar concludes with an examination of five case studies in science advocacy, linking students with industry and community leaders.
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Seeking Federal, Local Laws
The student teams in this semester’s seminar class have each identified a policy issue, researched the science behind it and crafted a policy solution.
Chen’s team, for instance, seeks $5 million in seed money to start city bicycle sharing programs on 20 college campuses across the country.
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https://explore.georgetown.edu/news/?ID=50036oldId.20100408134138661
Biking in Baltimore