By Kieron Murphy
Becoming a public official isn't just the pre-ordained career path of those with law degrees. Serving the people is a responsibility available to all in a democracy. And scientists and engineers very often make outstanding representatives for those they live among.
Take the current mayor of New York City, Michael Bloomberg, who is a trained electrical engineer. He is widely regarded by his constituents as one of the most popular public servants in recent memory, thanks to his problem-solving acumen.
So, in this jam-packed election year in the United States, featuring a race for every office from President to County Commissioner, from sea to shining sea, there are opportunities for you to consider the big jump into politics. Where do you start, though? Like anything else in life, you're going to need to learn from the masters.
That's why the American Academy for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) is inaugurating [pun intended] its first annual Campaign Education Workshop on 10 May in Washington, D.C. -- please see Campaign Workshop Offers Practical Advice to Scientists Interested in Political Office.
According to the AAAS announcement, this non-partisan meeting will focus on the practical considerations of running for office, as well as the specific ways that technologists can become more involved in political campaigns.
Sponsored by Scientists and Engineers for America (SEA), AAAS, and several other research societies such as the IEEE, it follows up on the success of an informal workshop held last July during the AAAS Science and Technology Policy Fellows meeting.
"We had invited a number of our partner scientific societies to observe the event last year, and there was such enthusiasm that we thought we should be doing this for our members in general, not just fellows," said Cynthia Robinson, director of AAAS's S&T Policy Fellowships.
The May workshop will offer more detail and specifics on how to run a campaign, including how to hire a staff, how to create a budget, how to craft media messages, and how campaigns differ from the school board to the congressional level, Robinson noted.
Featured speakers include: Dean Levitan, of the political consulting firm MSHC partners; Kevan Chapman, communications director for Michigan congressman Vern Ehlers; and Joe Trippi of Trippi Associates, a veteran of several U.S. presidential campaigns, most recently the Democratic primary run of John Edwards.
If you're interested in learning more about this unique opportunity, please visit the SEA Campaign Education Workshop page on the Web.
Then get out there and try to make your community (and the world) a better place to live. After all, you've got the know-how to make a difference.
Kieron Murphy is a contributing editor to IEEE Spectrum. He lives in New York City.
