Find Your Center: From Bench to Bill
Group shows Harvard graduate students how to engage with science policy.
When people think about science policy, they might picture a one-way relationship: scientists make discoveries, and policymakers decide how to use them. But according to Antonia Kowalewski, co-president of the Harvard Griffin GSAS Science Policy Group, that's only one side of the coin.
"Science policy has a huge impact on what science actually gets done, and who actually does it," Kowalewski said, referencing how government funding decisions can shape entire research fields, sometimes before an experiment even begins.
This two-sided relationship is the focus of the Harvard Griffin GSAS Science Policy Group, which introduces graduate students to the world of science policy, regardless of their field or experience level. Led by co-presidents and PhD students Antonia Kowalewski and Danielle Grey-Stewart, the group hosts career panels, public lectures, a flagship annual trip to Washington, DC, and more, all designed to help Harvard Griffin GSAS students understand science policy, how they might get involved in it, and how their work fits into the policy ecosystem.
The group's mission feels especially urgent today, as research at Harvard and peer institutions has been directly affected by recent funding decisions by the federal government. Each year, the group's focus shifts based on member interest; past years have spotlighted environmental, health, and most recently, AI and technology policy.
Meet the Co-Presidents
Kowalewski, originally from Victoria, Canada, is a fourth-year PhD student in biological and biomedical sciences at Harvard Griffin GSAS and Harvard Medical School, where she researches cancer genomics. Her interest in policy began during her undergraduate years at Simon Fraser University in Vancouver, where she was an advocate for environmental sustainability, although she didn't discover science policy as a formal field until arriving at Harvard.
“I've always been a ‘boots on the ground’ person trying to have an impact on the world, and not just be in my little ivory tower of the university and education system,” said Kowalewski.
Science policy has a huge impact on what science actually gets done, and who actually does it.
–Antonia Kowalewski, Co-President, Harvard Griffin GSAS Science Policy Group
Grey-Stewart is a fourth-year PhD student in applied physics, researching sustainable computing. Her path to science policy began as an undergraduate at MIT, where she grew curious about how scientific research created impact beyond the academic publishing cycle. She went on to complete a master's in public policy at the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom before arriving at Harvard, where she immediately looked for "the other science policy people" and joined the group's executive board in her first year.
Cambridge, Boston, and Washington, DC
The group kicks off each year with events across all three of Harvard's campuses (Cambridge, Longwood, and Allston) to meet students wherever their research takes place. This year’s kickoff events took place in September, with more events to be announced. This year, AI, environmental, and health policy are the main topics of interest, and with a laser focus on benefits for Harvard Griffin GSAS students, the co-presidents hope to deepen the club's social programming and strengthen ties with the broader science policy community across Boston.
Throughout the year, the group hosts lectures on various science policy topics and runs workshops on practical skills, including memo writing and translating scientific research into actionable proposals. During its annual signature event, the group brings 10 to 15 students to Washington, DC, to spend several days meeting with scientists and policymakers.
"It's kind of esoteric," Kowalewski said. "There are scientists who are working in policy. What does that actually look like day to day? What are the pressures and priorities and forces that these people are actually thinking about?"
[On the annual trip to Washington, DC] you get to have engaging conversations with [scientists and policymakers], and you get to ask them specific questions about their path.
–Danielle Grey-Stewart, Co-President, Harvard Griffin GSAS Science Policy Group
The trip connects students with the full range of institutions that shape science policy in Washington, including government agencies, think tanks, and congressional offices. Past itineraries have included visits to the Pentagon, the National Institutes of Health, and the State Department, as well as meetings with the offices of Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren and Massachusetts Representative and Democratic Whip Katherine Clark, a lunch with the think tank Tech Congress, and a dinner with group alumni now working in science policy careers.
For Grey-Stewart, the trip's real value lies in the connections it fosters. "You get to have engaging conversations with these people," she said, "and you get to ask them specific questions about their path." Applications for the trip typically open in March, with the trip itself taking place each June. (Sign up for the group on Engage so you don’t miss the application opening.)
How to Get Involved
For students curious about science policy but unsure where to start, Kowalewski's advice is direct: "Just come. We don't bite." She emphasized that attendees don't need to be considering a career in science policy to get something out of the group's events. "You don't have to be willing to drop your research and go work in government," she said.
Kowalewski shared, “I’m not totally sure where I’ll end up after my PhD, but no matter where I do end up, I think it’ll be valuable to have this context of how policymaking works, because policy and regulation really affect everything.”
Grey-Stewart agreed, adding that new arrivals shouldn't worry about walking in without existing connections. "You're probably not the only person who's coming to something for the first time," she said. The student group at Harvard Griffin GSAS, which currently has seven people on the executive board and 42 members on Engage, is welcoming to newcomers.
With fall events such as a social mixer focusing on the intersection between therapeutics and science policy on October 20 at 6:00 p.m. in Lehman Hall, and a full slate of workshops, panels, and trips ahead, the Science Policy Group will continue to invite Harvard graduate students from every discipline and experience level.
