This award supports the attendance and tuition of graduate students and faculty from under-represented groups and minority-serving institutions at the Summer Policy Colloquium organized by the American Meteorological Society (AMS). The Colloquium brings together 40-50 members of the atmospheric and related science communities to Washington, D.C. once each year for a ten-day immersion in science policy. Participants include high-level science and policy officials from both the executive branch and legislative branches of the US government, media, non-governmental organizations (NGO), and private industry. Colloquium members complete pre-assigned readings, develop science policy case studies, and engage in exercises including role-playing, discussion, and debate.
The AMS Summer Policy Colloquium serves an important role and an unfulfilled niche in the atmospheric sciences (and other sciences as well) by providing the means for a fresh and evolving dialog between the culture of scientists and policy makers. It provides a unique window into the needs of the end-users of scientific data to help shape society.
