Massachusetts Institute of Technology

MIT Technology and Policy Program

MIT Science Policy Initiative

Proposal for a Graduate Certificate Program in Science, Technology and Policy

Prepared by: the MIT Science Policy Initiative and the MIT Technology and Policy Program April 4, 2012

MIT Science Policy Initiative web.mit.edu/spi

MIT Technology and Policy Program http://tppserver.mit.edu/

Program Committee
Faculty Board
Professor Richard Lester (Nuclear Science and Engineering) Professor Kenneth Oye (Political Science, Engineering Systems) Professor Susan Solomon (Earth, Atmosphere, and Planetary Sciences) Professor Richard de Neufville (Engineering Systems, Civil & Environmental Engineering) [TPP Liaison] Professor Charles Stewart III (Political Science) [Chair]

Science Policy Initiative (SPI) Student Liaisons

Dan Chavas (Earth, Atmosphere, and Planetary Sciences) Johanna Wolfson (Chemistry)

Proposal for a Graduate Certificate Program in Science, Technology and Policy

Executive Summary
Despite wide recognition of the need for the next generation of scientists and engineers to be aware of the socio-political context of their research, MIT lacks a formal means for PhD students to engage issues in Science, Technology and Policy (STP). To ll this gap, we propose to create an STP Certicate Program, to be available to all qualifying MIT PhD students and administered by the MIT Technology and Policy Program. The Certicate Program seeks to complement the outstanding academic experience MIT currently provides to its science and engineering PhDs with a rigorous introduction to thesocial and policy contexts in which their research is embedded. The required curriculum will draw from existing, world-class STP resources on campus that are largely already available to graduate students. The program will in effect coordinate these resources to provide a coherent, rigorous introduction to the STP arena that can be reasonably integrated with the traditional PhD workload. Ultimately, the Certicate will benet participants in their future careers, regardless of eld, and will provide great returns to both MIT and society by equipping skilled scientists and engineers with the dual professional excellence needed to inform socio-technical policy decisions in a complex world.

Proposal for a Graduate Certificate Program in Science, Technology and Policy

MIT is where science and society meet

MIT President Susan Hockeld

I. Introduction and Rationale

Modern society is faced with a growing array of increasingly complex economic and technical problems whose solutions require the expertise that is the hallmark of graduates of the Institute. Moreover, governments must make difcult decisions regarding how to distribute increasingly limited resources while balancing the interests of a wide range of stakeholders. For this reason, there is a growing need to expand the scope of the traditional graduate education to include the policy context in which science and technology are embedded, which we dene broadly here as Science, Technology and Policy (STP). Thus, we propose the creation of an ofcial STP Graduate Certicate program for qualied PhD students at MIT.

What is Science, Technology and Policy?

To begin, it is helpful to rst provide a working denition of STP, which we break down into two components: 1. 2. Science and Technology for Policy: the application of scientic and technical knowledge to inform the policymaking process (e.g. The Future of Natural Gas MIT Report 2011) Policy for Science and Technology: the role of government in supporting science, technology, and innovation at any scale (local, state, national, international; e.g. DARPA)

The former focuses on the combination of technical expertise and applied policy research, whereas the latter focuses on the political, social, and economic systems that support innovation. Both are vital to a complete understanding of the complexities of science and technology in modern policymaking.

Filling a Critical Gap in MIT Graduate Education

Though the importance of STP is readily acknowledged by leaders at MIT, currently no formal mechanism exists for PhD students to engage the policy arena. This contrasts with several of our fellow institutions which offer STP certicate programs at the graduate level (Appendix A). The STP Certicate Program will ll this gap by providing a formalized means for students to engage the STP arena while simultaneously fullling the requirements of a rigorous PhD program. Participants will be equipped with an introduction to STP issues and basic methods of policy analysis and will graduate with ofcial recognition of their active interest in STP that will benet their careers, whether in science, policy, or their combination. At the Institute level, the Certicate program will attract the best and brightest students seeking the policy context for their PhD research that is already offered by our peer institutions. Furthermore, the program will enhance MITs standing as a world leader in science and innovation. The curricular and administrative details of this proposed program are provided below.

Proposal for a Graduate Certificate Program in Science, Technology and Policy

Student Demand for an STP Certicate

The Science Policy Initiative (SPI) is a student organization on campus devoted to student engagement in STP whose membership represents a cross-section of the graduate student population with a specic interest in STP issues. In Fall 2011, SPI performed a formal survey of its members and found that over 50 PhD students were interested in an STP Certicate program. Half indicated that they would very seriously consider enrolling such a program were it offered. Thus, signicant demand exists among PhD students for a formal avenue to explore STP as a part of their graduate education.

Benets to Participant and Institute

The STP Certicate Program offers a wide range of benets to both the recipient and the Institute as a whole. The program will Enable students to attain dual professional excellence bridging their primary research eld and STP Encourage scientists and engineers to explore the policy context of their research Equip graduates with the tools to apply their unique MIT expertise to solve complex socio-technical problems Enhance the reputation of MIT as a world leader in science and engineering Keep MIT on pace with other premier institutions offering STP Certicates

II. Mission Statement and Guiding Principles

The STP Certicate Program seeks to complement the outstanding academic experience MIT currently provides to its science and engineering PhDs with a rigorous introduction to the social and policy contexts in which their research is embedded. In pursuit of its mission, the STP Certicate Program will adhere to the following guiding principles: Excellence: Professional activities that are not perceived to be outstanding do not survive at MIT. Thus, the Certicate Program will take actions to ensure that the program is seen as a serious, worthwhile endeavor among our colleagues in Science and Engineering. Intellectual Rigor: The curriculum will provide a focused and rigorous introduction to STP held to the same standard of technical depth and quality that is a hallmark of the traditional MIT PhD. Sustainability: Success will be gauged by consistency in the long-term, which will build value into the Certicate both for recipients and for MIT as an international leader in science and engineering.

Proposal for a Graduate Certificate Program in Science, Technology and Policy

III. Curriculum
The curriculum will consist of a common core and a set of elective requirements. The common core introduces the basics of STP policy analysis and helps to establish an esprit de corps that promotes students learning from one another. The elective requirements then enable students to build upon this common core in their own areas of interest. The program will arrange for each student to have a faculty mentor to advise them in devising the elective component of the curriculum. Participants will be required to complete the following: Common core One full core course to introduce STP and the fundamental tools and methods for policy analysis. Options: 17.310 / ESD.103: Science, Technology & Public Policy (Fall) ESD.864 / 12.844: Modeling and Assessment for Policy (Spring) SPI Science Policy Bootcamp to introduce policymaking in action as applied to real-world issues in science and technology. Bootcamp will be incorporated as an ofcial graded course at MIT (see Appendix C for course syllabus). Elective requirements One full approved elective course to deepen the core skill set and/or to apply it to a specic policy area.1 Approved electives will be determined by the Faculty Board (a sample list is given in Appendix B). Capstone project to integrate the program elements together in an original academic contribution to the science policy community. Publication in a professional journal is encouraged though not required. Options: Publication-quality paper or policy brief Presentation at a relevant academic conference Dissertation chapter, subject to the approval of their faculty advisor(s)

IV. Implementation
Admission
The Certicate will be a competitive program, and thus admission will require submission of a formal application. Applications will be judged based on seriousness of purpose, student quality, and coordination with the students advisor. To ensure excellence, the program will strive to accept top students in their home departments in Science and Engineering. In order to focus on providing a high-quality curriculum, the Certicate will limit the number of participants to a manageable size. This size will be set annually by the Faculty Board based on such factors as the ability to cater to students in programmatic activities (i.e. courses, Science Policy Bootcamp), to advise them, and to support the process nancially. For the rst two years, the program will be limited to 10 students.

Student may also substitute two approved half courses. 5

Proposal for a Graduate Certificate Program in Science, Technology and Policy

Administration
The Technology and Policy Program (TPP) will provide the long-term administrative home for the Certicate Program. This will include keeping records, processing admissions, hosting the faculty governance activities, and certifying and conferring the ofcial Certicates to graduates. TPP is already a successful, established program in STP at MIT, thus ensuring program sustainability well into the future. TPP will provide the modest nancial commitments implicit in the Certicate program described above.

Governance
An Institute-wide Faculty Board will supervise the Certicate Program. The Board will be composed of at least two members and a Chair whose home departments span the Institute. Board membership will evolve over time to incorporate interested colleagues from across campus. The Board will be jointly responsible for decisions about admissions, curricular content, and nal approval of a students completion of the Certicate requirements. Board meetings will be called by the Chair and are expected to occur at least once per year in order to evaluate progress in the Program and identify and address areas of need or concern.

Cross-Institute Relationships
The Certicate Program is intended to complement other graduate programs, and thus their endorsement is critical. To this end, the program will reach out regularly to the leaders of such programs to provide information about the Certicate and request their feedback. Moreover, the program will connect directly with the research advisor of each program participant in order to build trust that the Certicate Program does not detract from progress on his/her research degree and to provide insight into the value of the Certicate program to his/her education.

Proposal for a Graduate Certificate Program in Science, Technology and Policy

Contact Information
For more information, please contact: Charles Stewart, Chair Kenan Sahin Distinguished Professor of Political Science 77 Massachusetts Avenue, E53-4474 Cambridge, MA 02139 T 617.253.3127 cstewart@mit.edu

Student Liaisons: Daniel Chavas Vice President, MIT Science Policy Initiative drchavas@mit.edu Johanna Wolfson President, MIT Science Policy Initiative johannaw@mit.edu

Proposal for a Graduate Certificate Program in Science, Technology and Policy

Appendix A: Existing Science, Technology and Policy Graduate Certificate Programs at Peer Institutions

Princeton University: Program in Science, Technology, and Environmental Policy Graduate Certicate http://www.princeton.edu/pei/grads/step/

Harvard University: Science, Technology, and Society Secondary PhD Field http://www.gsas.harvard.edu/programs_of_study/science_technology_and_society.php

Georgia Institute of Technology: School of Public Policy Graduate Certicate http://www.spp.gatech.edu/mc/gcpublicpolicy

University of Michigan: Ford School Science, Technology, and Public Policy Graduate Certicate Program http://stpp.fordschool.umich.edu/graduate-certicate/

University of Colorado-Boulder: Center for Science, Technology and Policy Research Graduate Certicate http://sciencepolicy.colorado.edu/students/

Proposal for a Graduate Certificate Program in Science, Technology and Policy

Appendix B: Sample Elective Courses for STP Certificate

Tools and Methods 14.003 Microeconomic Theory and Public Policy 15.011 Economic Analysis for Business Decisions ESD.710 Risk and Decision Analysis Environment 12.885 Environmental Science and Society 11.373 Science, Politics and Environmental Policy 11.601 Introduction to Environmental Policy and Planning 1.811J Environmental Law, Policy, and Economics: Pollution Prevention and Control 12.846J Global Environmental Science and Politics 14.420 Environmental Policy and Economics 12.848J Global Climate Change: Economics, Science, and Policy 1.812J Regulation of Chemicals, Radiation, and Biotechnology 1.725J Chemicals in the Environment: Fate and Transport 1.253J Transportation Policy and Environmental LiMITs 17.442 International Politics and Climate Change 17.182 Sustainability: Political Economy, Science, and Policy 11.363 Civil Society and the Environment 11.368 Environmental Justice Energy 14.444J Energy Economics and Policy 11.369J Energy Policy for a Sustainable Future 11.379J Enabling an Energy-Efcient Society Nuclear 22.812J Managing Nuclear Technology 22.814 Nuclear Non-Proliferation Law, politics, and society STS.011: Ethics and Politics in Science & Technology 11.490 Law and Development 15.218 Global Economic Challenges and Opportunities History of science and technology STS.003: The Rise of Modern Science STS.007: Technology in History

Proposal for a Graduate Certificate Program in Science, Technology and Policy

Appendix C: SPI Science Policy Bootcamp Curriculum

Format: 7 hybrid Lecture/Discussion sessions during 1 week, 2-3 hours / session Instructor: WIlliam Bonvillian, Director of the MIT Washington, D.C. Ofce Course Goal: Students will emerge from the course with a strong grasp of the fundamentals of innovation systems and the economic and technology development factors behind them, and with a clear framework to approach policymaking for science and technology. Course Description Careers of MIT scientists and engineers will be in signicant part determined by public policy decisions made in Washington by government, yet their access to information on how this system works is limited. Meanwhile, we increasingly understand that science and technology-based innovation is deeply connected to society's economic growth and its corresponding ability to generate societal wellbeing, so the public role of science is growing. This course will examine the public policy behind, and the government's role in, the science and technology innovation system. Given the challenges to future federal science support, this seminar will aim to equip those planning careers in and around science and technology with the basic background for involvement in science policymaking. Sessions cover the following topics: Sessions I & II: The drivers behind science and technology support: growth economics, direct and indirect innovation factors, innovation systems theory, the "valley of death" between R&D and public-private partnership model Sessions III & IV: The organizing framework behind US science agencies, their missions and research organizational models, and the DARPA model as an alternative Session V: The upcoming competitiveness challenge in advanced technologies and services Session VI: The way innovation is organized when it's face-to-face, including rule sets for great innovation teams Session VII: Application of the above concepts to a specic science policy arena. Example (2011): How the science and technology innovation system functions within an existing and established complex economic sector such as Energy.

Requirements Prior to each session, students will be asked to read a set of readings relevant to the sessions topic. Readings are integrated with the course material via interactive discussion. Each student will act as Discussion Leader for one of the assigned articles and will summarize the material and lead a Q&A session with the class. MIT Open CourseWare: http://ocw.mit.edu/resources/res-STP-001-science-policy-bootcamp-january-iap-2011/

Proposal for a Graduate Certificate Program in Science, Technology and Policy

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