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In April 2019, we crowdfunded over $2,400 for our science policy projects from nearly 40 donors. This was 160% of our original goal of $1500! This money will allow us to grow our projects, including advocacy trips to Sacramento, STEMVotes, various guest speakers we invite to campus, and similar initiatives. We’ve already begun utilizing these funds, and they have been a tremendous boon to SPG. While our crowdfunding page is no longer accepting donations, you can still check out descriptions of our projects there or donate directly to SPG through UC Berkeley here!

In response to the 2018 California wildfires and subsequent PG&E bankruptcy, Science Policy Group members Erin Sullivan​, Christopher Jackson​​, Daniel Broberg​​, Mark O’Dair​​, and Vetri Velan ​wrote a policy memo to California lawmakers. The document highlighted several key topics for those in Sacramento to consider as they decide how to weigh in on the proceedings. These include managing the future of renewable energy, energy access, and wildfire liability. They conclude that it is in the best interests of all Californians to establish a wildfire fund, coordinate energy purchases and distribution among new local energy providers, and scale up local energy storage capacity.

Read the full text of their memo here.

Members of our group had the opportunity to meet with Senator Kevin de León after his keynote address at the 2019 BERC Energy Summit, hosted by the Berkeley Energy and Resources Collaborative. Thanks to Senator de León’s leadership on legislation such as SB100, California is moving forward with equity-based policies to advance clean energy and climate action. We particularly appreciate his inclusion of science in the policy making process and look forward to supporting California lawmakers in future endeavors.

On Tuesday, 1/29, 6:00 PM – 7:30 PM in 468 Birge Hall (this is a new location), SPG will meet so that members can form and/or join policy project working groups for the semester. New members are always welcome! Currently planned meetings include STEMvotes and the PG&E Bankruptcy Memo groups. If you have another project you’d like to advertise or work on, please let us know!

STEMvotes will focus on (1) lessons learned from last semester and (2) starting a new voting-related project. Previous discussion over (2) included ideas such as writing a white paper related to voting patterns on college campuses and hosting things related to civic engagement, such as visiting Berkeley City Council. We will use the working meeting to gauge interest, set general goals, and establish a regular meeting time.

The PG&E bankruptcy group is putting together a policy memo related to the PG&E bankruptcy debacle. This will appeal to any members interested in energy policy or those looking to improve their science communication skills.

Miss the voter information night? Download our slides for a quick primer on all state propositions and local ballot measures!

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Important Dates:
Voter Registration Deadline: Monday, 10/22
California voters can check their registration status and register through the Secretary of State’s website.
Election Day: Tuesday, 11/06

For more information about getting out the STEM votes, check out the StemVotes Initiative!
www.stemvotes.org

How informed are you for the November midterm election? Save yourself a Google search, grab some free food, and learn about upcoming ballot measures with the Science Policy Group. Drop in to ask questions about each ballot measure or listen to our nonpartisan summary presentation (6:15 – 6:45 PM).

If you’re interested, please RSVP on Facebook and/or Eventbrite so that enough food may be provided.

Important Dates:

Voter Registration Deadline: Monday, 10/22
California voters can check their registration status and register through the Secretary of State’s website.
Election Day: Tuesday, 11/06

For more information about getting out the STEM votes, check out the StemVotes Initiative!
www.stemvotes.org

Engaging Scientists & Engineers in Policy (ESEP) and the UC Berkeley, UC San Francisco, and Stanford science policy groups are co-hosting a Bay Area science policy happy hour series this summer. Check out the flyer for more info and to RSVP. See you there!

Read more about the event from coverage by both UC Berkeley and AAAS!

Last November, SPG exectuive board member Andrew Bremer was featured in a Nature correspondence along with two other UC Berkeley graduate students. They argue that in the face of limited career options for PhD students in academia, universities need to better prepare students for other career paths. Read the full correspondence in Nature, Volume 551 from November 2017.

In the last few weeks of 2017, Vetri Velan and Kathy Shield shaped the national conversation with their analysis and calculator for determining how the proposed tax plan could impact graduate students. Ultimately, their efforts paid off, and the final language did not include the changes to graduate students’ taxes on tuition money. With support from the UC Berkeley Government Relations and Communications teams, the Graduate Student Assembly, and even Chancellor Carol Christ herself, as well as the rest of the SPG members making phone calls to their representatives and sharing resources with their friends across the country, Velan and Shield were able to alter the narrative and get coverage in local, state, and national publications. (See below)

Not sure how tax code section 117(d) matters? Read Velan’s analysis here.

The calculator was open for anyone to use nationally, and provided information to thousands of students, journalists, and activists.

 In addition to these publicly available resources, additional information about calling representatives was made available to university students across the country, and Shield wrote a short memo that UC representatives in Washington DC brought to the Hill. Shield and Velan were recognized on Jan. 12, 2018 by Rep. Barbara Lee when she entered a summary of their efforts into the 115th Congress’ Congressional Record., and presented them with commemorative plaques at a community event the next day.

Working to influence policy at the national level was an eye opening experience for both students and the group as a whole that led to new relationships within the university and with student leaders nationwide. As a group, we look forward to continuing to work with the contacts we’ve made to continue supporting science and scientists nationally.

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