COPA-STEP holds first annual PA Science Policy Symposium at PSU Harrisburg

COPA-STEP hosted the first annual Pennsylvania Science Policy Symposium at Penn State Harrisburg on November 15, 2024. Forty-three undergraduate and graduate students hailing from across the Commonwealth attended the event, with the majority of the participants from Penn State University, University of Pennsylvania, and University of Pittsburgh. The students came from a wide variety of disciplines including, but not limited to, astrophysics, engineering, geosciences, health and life sciences, and technology.

Students engaged in a full day of programming, beginning with an Improv for Scientists session led by Happy Valley Improv. The group spent the rest of the day crafting policy pitches through guided workshops and peer feedback. After lunch, the group heard from Pennsylvania policy practitioners Rep. Dallas Kephart (R-73), Ali Bowling (PA DCNR), and Harry Campbell (Chesapeake Bay Foundation) about how they can engage in policy in the state. The day culminated in a policy pitch session where early career scientists and technologists pitched their policy ideas to policy practitioners and received real time feedback.

COPA-STEP would like to thank the Science Policy Society at Penn State University, the University of Pennsylvania's Science Policy and Diplomacy Group, and the Allegheny Science Policy and Governance Group for its support for the event.