Maximize Your Impact: Informing Policy as an Academic in STEM

101 Foundry Drive,West Lafayette IN 47906

29 April, 2022

Description

This event is for any engineer or scientist interested in how to successfully engage with technology policymakers and have impact. No matter how exciting the potential of a new technology may be, understanding and realizing its impacts on society is not just a technical endeavor. The bridge between discovery and impact involves the understanding of cultural contexts, effective communication, and successful implementation. In particular, broad and sustainable impact is realized effectively in well-informed policy. This one-day symposium provides an overview of the broader impact engineers and scientists can and must have on society. This event aims to inform, inspire, and build a critical network of engineers and scientists at Purdue who have the interest and capacity to inform policy for the betterment of the human condition. It will also introduce new opportunities to students who are still trying to identify their own career paths and trajectories. A tentative agenda is provided below: 8:30 AM Continental Breakfast + Networking 9:00 AM – 9:15 AM Welcome Remarks: Stacey Connaughton, Arvind Raman 9:15 AM – 10:15 AM Keynote address | The Impact of STEM in Bettering the Human Condition Iana Aranda, Engineering for Change 10:15 AM – 11:45 AM Keynote and panel | What Informing Policy Looks Like There is no singular approach or formula to connect discovery to inform policy. Success in this arena can vary based on the researcher, their particular expertise, societal issue, and their particular stakeholders. A barrier to the work of engaging stakeholders and applying discovery to inform policy is that it can be difficult to envision. In this panel, we will showcase a few examples of faculty-led policy work and identify emergent themes. 11:45 AM Lunch 12:30 PM – 1:45 PM Keynote and panel | The Value Add: Impact + Engagement As a land-grant institution, Purdue University has a mission to serve and benefit the world around us. Individually as global citizens, we have a moral imperative to share the specific and expert knowledge we discover for the betterment of the human condition. To support these ideals, we must provide the infrastructure that supports this work and recognizes and rewards the merit of engaged scholarship. This session shares the perceived value of this work from University leaders, examples of the impact it has had in the policy arena from stakeholders, and the fulfillment and job satisfaction enjoyed by scholars who apply their research to affect policies and practices. *For students* – a parallel panel aimed at undergraduate and graduate students will be focused on the topic of how to pursue a career in policy, particularly with a technical degree. 1:45 PM – 3:15 PM Keynote and panel | Multi-Stakeholder Collaboration Evidence-based policy development is not informed by academics alone, but instead is also informed by those affected by the policy. Beneficence of scholarly work intends for the impact of discovery to positively affect society, but the benefits can only be realized when it is known what outcomes will be perceived as benefits. This is accomplished by engaging stakeholders and co-designing work. 3:15 PM Break 3:30 PM – 4:30 PM Interactive session – Communicating Research Outside of the Academy This session will be aimed at helping those interested in feedback or guidance on communicating their work outside of academia. There will be some pre-work provided for those who (1) wish to bring their ideas to the session and garner feedback, or (2) prefer to participate to provide feedback. Pre-work can be designed to help participants prepare for op-ed, policy brief, presentation, white paper, briefing-style communication. 4:30 PM Closing Remarks 5:00 PM Networking Reception