Focus on Local Government
The Civic SciTech Traineeship is designed to help early career scientists and technologists develop and hone the necessary skills required for careers in policy while also building foundational knowledge of how local government works.
Experiential Learning
Trainees will engage in practical, hands-on experiential learning supported through ongoing mentoring and skill development. Teams of up to four trainees will be partnered with host offices from city and municipal governments to focus on a project of the host office’s choosing over a period of six months.
Lehigh County Courthouse in Allentown, Pennsylvania
Credit: Wikimedia Commons
Mentorship
In addition to completing a project with local governments, participants will be partnered with science and technology policy practitioners who have worked in local, state, or federal government to help participants navigate this new career pathway.
Growing Program
We launched our pilot Civic SciTech project with the City of Allentown in October 2024. We are seeking our next cohort now to work with the Chesapeake Bay Foundation to conduct research, analyze data, and provide recommendations to enhance the effectiveness of the on the Environmental Stewardship Fund and its impacts on Pennsylvania's waters.
Featured in the News
“Students are looking for ways to bolster soft skills and competencies to get more experience in science policy, and, currently, there are not a ton of ways for them to do that within their degree programs,” Kirchhoff said. “The Civic SciTech Traineeship can fill a void for students across all colleges seeking more experience in government and policymaking.”
View the article
City of Allentown Study
Participants in the inaugural cohort of the Civic SciTech Traineeship shared findings from their project with the City of Allentown, Pennsylvania, in a report titled “Building Climate Resilience Through Urban Greening and Public Engagement in Allentown.”
View the report