Keeping up with science by Shari Weisberg. Federal Art Project, WPA
May is Asian-Pacific American Heritage month, which provides me with the perfect opportunity to highlight one of our outreach activities- the Asian Science & Technology (S&T) Forum. Our division’s research specialist in Asian S&T policy, Dr. Tomoko Steen, created this forum three years ago as a discussion group on behalf of a selection of Asian embassy science attachés. The forum has since expanded to include science attachés from most Asian, Pacific-region and European embassies, along with US policy makers from the State Department, NSF, USAID, DOE, DOD, and AAAS. Local university directors of science policy programs are also keen to participate in the group.
The meetings follow a format based on a topic of interest, for example, bio-defense, climate change or science policy updates in India. Dr. Steen identifies and invites speakers appropriate to the topic. After a short presentation by the speaker, the group has an in-depth discussion on the focused topic for over an hour, giving participants an opportunity to increase understanding and to exchange views. The group meets every month and although now broadly based, numbers at each meeting are kept small in order to have a meaningful discussion on each topic.
If you are interested in learning how S&T policy is formulated, take a look at LC Science Tracer Bullet Science and Technology Policy , which highlights S&T policy for the United States, as well as other nations and groups of nations.
And if you are interested in learning about science and technology in Asia you might want to consult our LC Science Tracer Bullets Science and Technology in the People’s Republic of China and Science and Technology in South Korea.
•I’d like to thank my co-writer Dr. Tomoko Steen who is the inspiration for this blog post.