Agenda
The Computing Research Association’s Computing Community Consortium offers its Leadership in Science Policy Institute to educate computing researchers on how science policy in the U.S. is formulated and how our government works. LiSPI features presentations and discussions with science policy experts, current and former Hill staff, and relevant agency and Administration personnel about mechanics of the legislative process, interacting with agencies, advisory committees, and the federal case for computing
Thursday, April 11th
7:30 am – 8:30 am
Breakfast Available
8:30 am - 9:00 am
Welcome (Fred B. Schneider, Chair CRA Government Affairs)
Lay out the goals of the workshop: to provide a crash-course in relevant science policy issues and the mechanics of policymaking, including a sense of how federal science policy is crafted, how it’s implemented, and where are the opportunities for members of the community to participate in the policy-making process.
9:00 am - 10:00 am
The Federal Case for Computing (Peter Harsha, CRA)
The computing research portfolio of the federal government is spread across 14 different agencies and accounts for over $4 billion annually. Each year, significant portions of that investment are reassessed by the agencies, the White House, and ultimately Congress, who must decide where taxpayer dollars will be spent. This session will explore the arguments that the computing community has been using to justify receiving taxpayer dollars in support of its research.
10:00 am - 10:30 am
Break
10:30 am – 12 pm
Interacting with the Agencies/Creating New Initiatives (Jeannette Wing, MS, formerly NSF; Milt Corn, NIH; Howard Shrobe, DARPA)
The agencies are where the science-policy rubber hits the road, where decisions made in both the Administrative and Legislative branches get implemented, and the most common avenue for individuals in the science community to interact with the federal government. Influencing policy decisions at the agency level can require a somewhat different skill set and somewhat different approach than influencing your faculty peers, the Congress, or the White House. Agencies also provide opportunities for individuals in the community to directly shape federal policy in their field, by serving on an agency advisory committee, or by taking a rotation as a program manager, division director, or office director. This session will cover the agency budget process and will discuss opportunities for scientists to advise and engage federal science agencies like NSF, DOE, DOD and NIH. The speakers will discuss the mechanics of how agency new initiatives get started, focusing on the culture and traditions that constitute the lens through which agencies view themselves and are viewed by others. In practical terms, how is success measured? To what extent is outside advice sought and in support of what kinds of activities? What kinds of advice and modes of engagement are unlikely to be effective?
12 pm – 1 pm
Lunch
1:00 pm - 2:30 pm
Role of Advisory Committees (Edward Lazowska, Washington; Herb Lin, CSTB; Annie Antón, Georgia Tech; Kevin Fu, University of Michigan)
Advisory committees are found at nearly every level of the Federal Government. Some oversee particular programs, others advise offices, directorates, or agencies, and there are a range of Presidentially-appointed panels too. This session will attempt to provide an understanding about those committees — including how they work (in theory and in practice), why they might not work, how their membership is chosen, and whom they are intended to influence and then actually influence. Being effective on one of these committees often requires different strategy and tactics from what works in a university setting. The speakers will give thoughts on why it’s important to serve and will explain in some detail the dynamics of how issues get raised and vetted, and how outcomes get finalized and disseminated.
2:30 pm – 3 pm
Break
3 pm – 4 pm
The Federal Budget Process (Kei Koizumi, OSTP)
Former budget “guru” for AAAS, and now R&D budget expert for the White House’s Office of Science and Technology Policy, Kei Koizumi, will walk through the federal budget process. He will discuss the mechanics of the budget process (including the key milestones and inflection points in the process, and key agencies for the science community), and he will speculate about some of the challenges ahead for the community, including how the overall federal budget situation and political environment are likely to impact science budgets.
4 pm – 4:45 pm
Having the Conversation – Part One
(Elizabeth Grossman, former Congressional Staff and now Microsoft Policy)
Through role-playing meetings with former congressional staff, this two-part session will provide a first opportunity for participants to start putting into practice some of the things they’ve learned. Participants will get a sense of how policymakers approach meetings with researchers and how researchers can be best prepared to deliver useful input. In the first part of the session, Elizabeth Grossman will describe typical interactions with Congressional staff and provide tips and techniques to make those interactions productive. In part two, participants will get an opportunity to put this advice into use by presenting their work to a panel of former congressional staff who will provide constructive advice.
4:45 pm – 5 pm
Break
5 pm – 6 pm
Expert Panel – Communicating the Importance of the Field
(Julia Jester, Majority Staff Director, and Dahlia Sokolov, Minority Staff Director, House Committee on Science, Space and Technology)
After the role-playing session, participants will hear from a panel featuring current staff from the House Science, Space and Technology Committee, who understand the unique difficulties of communicating the value of research to policymakers, and the difficulties of prioritizing science investments in the current political climate. Arguments that are helpful and those that are ineffective will be surveyed. Protocol for interactions and follow-up will also be discussed.
6 pm – 7:30 pm
Reception for Workshop Attendees, Speakers and Invited
Guests
Guest speaker Farnam Jahanian, NSF's Assistant Director for Computer and Information Science and Engineering Directorate, will deliver a few remarks.
Friday, April 12th
7:00 am – 8:00 am
Breakfast Available
8:30 am – 10 am
Embedding Researchers in Non-Research Agencies and the
White House
(Steve Bellovin, CTO at FTC; Edward Felten, Princeton; Henning Schulzrinne,
CTO at FCC; Vijay Kumar, OSTP – invited)
Federal science agencies are generally pretty well connected to the communities they serve. Agencies like the National Science Foundation and DARPA rely on a constant flow of people back and forth from the research community to agency service to help craft and shape research programs that move the field forward and address agency missions. Non-science Federal agencies, like the Federal Trade Commission, have other mission needs and do not have that natural connection to the research community, yet could benefit from ready access to technical expertise. The speakers will discuss their experiences in incorporating technical expertise into a regulatory agency, the opportunities at other agencies, and how they found themselves in a position to serve.
10 am – 10:30 am
Break
10:30 am – 12 pm
Having the Conversation – Part Two
(Elizabeth Grossman, former Congressional Staff and now Microsoft Policy)
12 pm – 12:40 pm
Congressional Testimony, Wrap-up and Post-Workshop
Homework Assignment
(Fred Schneider)
12:40 pm
Workshop Concludes
