AAAS Science & Technology Policy Fellow, Washington, DC, USA.
Yale J Biol Med. 2011 Sep;84(3):237-42.
The transition from bench science to science policy is not always a smooth one, and my journey stretched as far as the unemployment line to the hallowed halls of the U.S. Capitol. While earning my doctorate in microbiology, I found myself more interested in my political activities than my experiments. Thus, my science policy career aspirations were born from merging my love of science with my interest in policy and politics. After receiving my doctorate, I accepted the Henry Luce Scholarship, which allowed me to live in South Korea for 1 year and delve into the field of science policy research. This introduction into science policy occurred at the South Korean think tank called the Science and Technology Policy Institute (STEPI). During that year, I used textbooks, colleagues, and hands-on research projects as my educational introduction into the social science of science and technology decision-making. However, upon returning to the United States during one of the worst job markets in nearly 80 years, securing a position in science policy proved to be very difficult, and I was unemployed for five months. Ultimately, it took more than a year from the end of the Luce Scholarship to obtain my next science policy position with the American Society for Microbiology Congressional Fellowship. This fellowship gave me the opportunity to work as the science and public health advisor to U.S. Senator Harry Reid. While there were significant challenges during my transition from the laboratory to science policy, those challenges made me tougher, more appreciative, and more prepared to move from working at the bench to working in the field of science policy.
从基础科学过渡到科学政策并不总是一帆风顺的，我的经历可以说是一波三折，从失业到美国国会大厦的大厅。在攻读微生物学博士学位期间，我发现自己对政治活动比对实验更感兴趣。因此，我将对科学的热爱与对政策和政治的兴趣相结合，萌生了从事科学政策工作的愿望。在获得博士学位后，我获得了亨利·卢斯奖学金，这使我能够在韩国生活一年，并深入研究科学政策研究领域。我在韩国的一个智库——科技政策研究所（STEPI）开始接触科学政策。在那一年里，我使用教科书、同事和实践研究项目，将自己引入科学技术决策的社会科学领域。然而，当我回到美国时，正值近 80 年来最糟糕的就业市场之一，我很难在科学政策领域找到工作，失业了五个月。最终，在结束卢斯奖学金后，我花了一年多的时间才获得了美国微生物学会国会奖学金的下一个科学政策职位。这个奖学金让我有机会担任美国参议员哈里·里德的科学和公共卫生顾问。虽然从实验室过渡到科学政策存在着巨大的挑战，但这些挑战使我变得更加坚强、更加感激，并为从实验室工作转向科学政策领域的工作做好了更充分的准备。
