Step 7: Applicant Agreements & Signature
Please review the following STPF statements and provide your initial for each in agreement. Review and respond to the Statement of Commitment below and digitally sign. When finished, submit your application.
The AAAS Science & Technology Policy Fellowships and the Congressional Science and Engineering Fellowships® programs have built an exceptional reputation for selecting and placing highly qualified fellows who learn firsthand about the federal policy realm and make valuable public service contributions to the Congressional, Executive, and Judicial Branch agencies, departments, and offices in which they serve. Maintaining the integrity and public service/professional development focus of the fellowships is the responsibility of AAAS, its partner sponsoring societies, the fellows, and the offices in which they are assigned.
To this end, fellows are required to be free agents who make their own choice about accepting an offered placement. Fellows may not provide special considerations of any kind to any external entity providing sponsorship, support, training, travel, accommodations, meals, payment for service (e.g., consulting, or advisory appointments), gifts or any other supplement, including AAAS, its affiliated organizations or any non-federal entity contributing to the fellow’s compensation.
To maintain the integrity of the AAAS S&T Policy Fellowships, as well as to underscore that the fellowship is a public service/professional development experience, the fellow’s responsibility is to the office in which s/he is placed and the ethics rules guiding that Executive or Judicial Branch agency or Chamber of Congress. It is important that fellows adhere to this principle and avoid any conflict of interest or even the appearance of a conflict of interest.
It is also the responsibility of AAAS, sponsoring societies, affiliated organizations, and any entity contributing monetary, material, or in-kind support to fellows to avoid creating conflicts of interest or the appearance of conflicts of interest with respect to the fellows, in accordance with the ethics rules of the host agency/office/chamber.
Fellows serving in board or policy committee positions with any organizations that conduct outreach or advocacy to Members of Congress or their staff, or leaders and staff of Executive or Judicial Branch agencies, may be required to discontinue such involvement for the duration of the fellowship.
Fellows with an appointment in the private sector (e.g., positions in industry or other for-profit organizations) that immediately precedes the fellowship must sever employment ties before starting the fellowship. This means that fellows cannot be on sabbatical or temporary leave from that employer but must end their employment with the employer prior to starting the fellowship.
Depending on the placement, in some cases fellows may not be party to any federally funded grant applications, either as a principal investigator (PI), co-PI, or subcontractor, due to federal law and regulations. If a fellow is already on a federally funded grant, he/she may be required to stop work on the grant for the duration of the fellowship and may be barred from receiving funding from the grant during that time. Fellows involved in other research collaborations or any appointments from which they receive additional remuneration must receive approval from the ethics committee/officer of their host agency/office to continue that involvement. If the activity is not approved, the fellow must take a hiatus from such involvement for the duration of the fellowship.
Fellows invited to give presentations must, in order to ensure there is no conflict of interest, receive approval from their host office to give the presentation, and for receipt of funding for the activity from any external parties.
Fellows who wish to publish on work involved in their fellowship or who identify themselves in publications as affiliated with any congressional office, committee, or government entity must receive prior permission from the host office/appropriate ethics committee. In most cases approved reports, journal articles, or professional presentations that are based on activities conducted during the fellowship appointment should provide acknowledgment, typically “This activity was supported by a AAAS Science & Technology Policy Fellowship served at Agency/Office name.” The text should be approved in advance by the fellow’s host agency and AAAS. The fellow is responsible for providing AAAS with an electronic copy of any published work, either digital or print, as part of the annual fellowship reporting process.
Fellows offered honoraria for speaking engagements, service on committees, editorial review boards, and such activities must receive clearance in advance from the ethics committee/officer of their host agency/office in order to accept the payment.
Fellows are required to disclose potential conflicts of interests that could bias or appear to bias their work as a AAAS Science & Technology Policy Fellow, including, but not limited to: activity, employment, retainment, or financial interests. Acknowledging a potential conflict of interest does not preclude candidacy for the AAAS STPF program.
By entering my signature in the following box, I certify that all information contained in this application for a AAAS Science & Technology Policy Fellowship is complete and accurate.
Fellows’ participation in the STPF program is contingent upon their attendance at a two-week fellowship orientation in Washington, DC. The dates for 2023 STPF Orientation are September 1 – 18. Because STPF fellowships are structured to provide immersive learning experiences, fellows are required to be in the DC-Maryland-Virginia (DMV) area for the duration of their fellowship.