What is She Doing There, Exactly?!
That's a good question. I'm in Washington, D.C. now and I keep asking myself, What am I doing here, anyway?! I've been getting a lot of questions about why I'm in Washington, D.C. and what I'll be doing. Here's the Cliff Notes version.
I have been appointed by the Society for Research on Child Development to serve as a Congressional fellow. What does a Congressional fellow do? Another good question! Many professional societies/associations appoint Congressional fellows annually, where the goal is to bring highly skilled individuals (people with PhDs) to the policy arena and at the same time, to expose highly skilled individuals to the policy-making process. Here's what my sponsoring professional association says about Congressional fellowships.
The SRCD Congressional Fellowship Program is designed to provide greater interaction between the developmental research community and Congress. Fellows spend one year with a placement that involves working for a Congressional committee, in the office of a member of Congress, or in a Congressional support agency that works directly for members or committees of Congress. Although the responsibilities of each Fellow varies by office, past Fellows have worked on drafting legislation, bringing research to bear on re-authorization of programs or appropriations, and advising members of Congress through research that bears on both local and Federal programs and services affecting children, youth and families. Fellows may also prepare or assist in Congressional hearings and briefings, or preparing briefs and speeches.
Are there a lot of you? SRCD appointed three fellows this year. But, we are under the umbrella of the American Association for the Advance of Science and Technology (AAAS - no idea why the "T" is dropped from this acronym!), which means that we come together with a total of 35 fellows from different professional associations. You can read about us here and even find me in the lineup. But, there are many other Congressional fellows. Many professional associations bring in their own set of fellows: American Psychological Association, American Sociological Association, American Public Health Association, American Political Science Association, and on and on. Just what Washington needs - more "highly skilled" people running around filling the buildings, attending meetings, and so forth! I try to have a good sense of humor about having a PhD and being called "Dr. Douglas." I think that Washington will most definitely encourage me to be humble.
When do you get started? I'll get started this week! In a couple of days I begin a two-week crash course that is organized by AAAS. During this time I will learn about Washington, government, policy, politics, how to infuse research-based knowledge into the policy-making process, and so forth.
Where will you be placed? Another good question! Truth is...I don't even know yet! After the crash course is over, we start interviewing for offices that are willing to take on fellows. I could be working in the office of a specific legislator or assigned to a committee that deals with specific policy issues. I hear that I probably won't have a placement confirmed until the end of September or start of October.
Have you left your job? Nope! It's another perk of being an academic. We are actually encouraged to leave our jobs from time to time - to go out into the world and try to use our knowledge and expertise to "make a difference" outside of the ivory tower. It comes with the very reasonable expectation that we would bring our new experiences and knowledge back to campus to benefit out students. So, I have taken a one-year leave from Bridgewater State University; I am expected to return for the 2017-2018 academic year.
Are you excited? Nervous? Yes and yes! It's an amazing opportunity. I've known about these fellowships since I was in graduate school, so for at least 15 years. It was never the right time to apply until I decided to do so last fall. In truth, I had been mapping out the application timeline since 2011. Most of the fellows are newly minted PhDs. I'm 14 years out, so that makes me a little unique here. But, nonetheless, I'm here, living in the Capitol Hill neighborhood of Washington, D.C., about 1 mile from Union Station. As a very non-urban person, it's promising to be a whole new experience. I walked to the grocery store today, took the Metro to see Neil off to the airport, and I've been running on the National Mall.
What else will you do while you're there? Right now, I'm catching up on my backlog of emails and I have 3-5 academic papers I am working on right now, and a new study that I am conducting with a colleague about child welfare workers and fatal child maltreatment. And, this week I am heading to Catholic University to sit in on a rehearsal with their wind ensemble to see if it's a good fit. I was telling a friend that I hoped to get a lot of papers written this year. He reminded me, "Or, you could go to a Smithsonian." Ah, yes, Emily could go to a Smithsonian!
Neil? Drake? They are at home in Massachusetts. I will see Neil about every two weeks and I will see Drake monthly...a huge adjustment for all of us. But, it's only 12 months and it's not like I'm at war or anything! So far, it's been very strange to have all of my work friends and colleagues prepping syllabi and getting to start a semester while I am a world away in Washington!!
That's it for now! I hope to blog more regularly this year. We'll see if that actually happens...
I have been appointed by the Society for Research on Child Development to serve as a Congressional fellow. What does a Congressional fellow do? Another good question! Many professional societies/associations appoint Congressional fellows annually, where the goal is to bring highly skilled individuals (people with PhDs) to the policy arena and at the same time, to expose highly skilled individuals to the policy-making process. Here's what my sponsoring professional association says about Congressional fellowships.
The SRCD Congressional Fellowship Program is designed to provide greater interaction between the developmental research community and Congress. Fellows spend one year with a placement that involves working for a Congressional committee, in the office of a member of Congress, or in a Congressional support agency that works directly for members or committees of Congress. Although the responsibilities of each Fellow varies by office, past Fellows have worked on drafting legislation, bringing research to bear on re-authorization of programs or appropriations, and advising members of Congress through research that bears on both local and Federal programs and services affecting children, youth and families. Fellows may also prepare or assist in Congressional hearings and briefings, or preparing briefs and speeches.
Are there a lot of you? SRCD appointed three fellows this year. But, we are under the umbrella of the American Association for the Advance of Science and Technology (AAAS - no idea why the "T" is dropped from this acronym!), which means that we come together with a total of 35 fellows from different professional associations. You can read about us here and even find me in the lineup. But, there are many other Congressional fellows. Many professional associations bring in their own set of fellows: American Psychological Association, American Sociological Association, American Public Health Association, American Political Science Association, and on and on. Just what Washington needs - more "highly skilled" people running around filling the buildings, attending meetings, and so forth! I try to have a good sense of humor about having a PhD and being called "Dr. Douglas." I think that Washington will most definitely encourage me to be humble.
When do you get started? I'll get started this week! In a couple of days I begin a two-week crash course that is organized by AAAS. During this time I will learn about Washington, government, policy, politics, how to infuse research-based knowledge into the policy-making process, and so forth.
Where will you be placed? Another good question! Truth is...I don't even know yet! After the crash course is over, we start interviewing for offices that are willing to take on fellows. I could be working in the office of a specific legislator or assigned to a committee that deals with specific policy issues. I hear that I probably won't have a placement confirmed until the end of September or start of October.
Have you left your job? Nope! It's another perk of being an academic. We are actually encouraged to leave our jobs from time to time - to go out into the world and try to use our knowledge and expertise to "make a difference" outside of the ivory tower. It comes with the very reasonable expectation that we would bring our new experiences and knowledge back to campus to benefit out students. So, I have taken a one-year leave from Bridgewater State University; I am expected to return for the 2017-2018 academic year.
Are you excited? Nervous? Yes and yes! It's an amazing opportunity. I've known about these fellowships since I was in graduate school, so for at least 15 years. It was never the right time to apply until I decided to do so last fall. In truth, I had been mapping out the application timeline since 2011. Most of the fellows are newly minted PhDs. I'm 14 years out, so that makes me a little unique here. But, nonetheless, I'm here, living in the Capitol Hill neighborhood of Washington, D.C., about 1 mile from Union Station. As a very non-urban person, it's promising to be a whole new experience. I walked to the grocery store today, took the Metro to see Neil off to the airport, and I've been running on the National Mall.
What else will you do while you're there? Right now, I'm catching up on my backlog of emails and I have 3-5 academic papers I am working on right now, and a new study that I am conducting with a colleague about child welfare workers and fatal child maltreatment. And, this week I am heading to Catholic University to sit in on a rehearsal with their wind ensemble to see if it's a good fit. I was telling a friend that I hoped to get a lot of papers written this year. He reminded me, "Or, you could go to a Smithsonian." Ah, yes, Emily could go to a Smithsonian!
Neil? Drake? They are at home in Massachusetts. I will see Neil about every two weeks and I will see Drake monthly...a huge adjustment for all of us. But, it's only 12 months and it's not like I'm at war or anything! So far, it's been very strange to have all of my work friends and colleagues prepping syllabi and getting to start a semester while I am a world away in Washington!!
That's it for now! I hope to blog more regularly this year. We'll see if that actually happens...
Welcome to DC!
ReplyDeleteWelcome to DC!
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