As a member of SIAM, the Society for Industrial and Applied Mathematics, I have participated in and organized various science policy events. These were a great way of learning more about the field, and getting involved! See below for details.
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In the years 2018 and 2019 I was a SIAM Science Policy Fellow. This new program seeks to introduce early-career mathematicians to the field of science policy, especially in the United States as it pertains to mathematics research and funding, and to the use of mathematics in evidence-based policy-making. Fellows particiapte in the activities of the SIAM Committee on Science Policy, including two meetings a year in Washington DC where we discuss applied mathematics research and education funding at the federal level, meet staffers of various congressional representatives to advocate for applied mathematics funding, and dicussed SIAM's upcoming priorities and challenges in the field of science policy. I highly recommend this program to any applied mathematician interested!
Part of being a fellow is to have a project. My project was to organize a discussion at the 2018 SIAM Annual Meeting, on how the applied math community can get involved in science policy, to support funding and encourage the use of applied math in decision-making. Link: https://meetings.siam.org/sess/dsp_programsess.cfm?SESSIONCODE=65030
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In 2017 at the SIAM Annual Meeting I organized, with C. David Levermore (then SIAM Vice President for Science Policy), the panel titled "Changing Implementations of National Priorities and Math Funding." The goal was to explore the current administration’s plans for implementation of national priorities, and how major mathematics funding agencies might contribute to these. Speakers from the National Science Foundation, Department of Energy and Department of Defense.
Link: http://meetings.siam.org/sess/dsp_programsess.cfm?SESSIONCODE=62405
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In July 2014 I organized, with C. David Levermore (then SIAM Vice President for Science Policy), the panel Mathematics and Science Policy: Some SIAM Perspectives for the Society for Industrial and Applied Mathematics (SIAM) Annual Meeting. Panelists were:
- Irene Fonseca (SIAM president 2013-2014);
- Douglas N. Arnold (member as of 2014 of the National Research Council's Board of Mathematical Sciences and their Applications, and former SIAM president);
- Peter R. Turner (SIAM Vice President for Education 2013-2014);
- Peter March (former Director of the National Science Foundation's Division of Mathematical Sciences).
The goal of this panel was to discuss how SIAM members contribute to policy discussions, advocate for funding, and promote the visibility of the mathematics community, including the current central role of STEM education issues in these interactions.