FELLOWSHIP INVENTORY

Cyrus Wadia is on a mission—to provide affordable solar-generated electricity to 7 billion people. His quest has brought him from the bench in Lawrence Berkley National Laboratory (LBNL) and the University of California-Berkeley to Washington, DC where he is a senior policy analyst in renewable energy for the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy. 

For Dr. Wadia, and others working to make solar energy a significant source of the world’s electricity, the operative word is “affordable.”   Today, the cells that capture sun energy are made from silicon, an abundant resource but expensive to manufacture. Those manufacturing costs inhibit the large-scale production of cells that will be needed to provide clean electricity to more people. Newer technologies that use less expensive materials such as cadmium telluride are made of elements either too rare or too toxic for large scale production and demand. A significant challenge to increasing solar-powered electricity boils down to how to produce it safely and inexpensively on a huge scale—in terawatts rather than megawatts.

 “Our ability to solve big problems with technology won’t be limited necessarily by our imagination but rather by resources,” said Wadia last September at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology where he received a Technology Review 2009 Young Innovator Award.  He received the award in recognition of his innovation in solar photovoltaics that he researched at the University of California at Berkeley while a fellow in EPA’s Science to Achieve Results (STAR) Fellowship program.

While a Ph.D. graduate student, Wadia broke down his research into two parts.  For the first part, he analyzed several materials for their properties as well as their cost-effective potential.  Two compounds emerged as promising candidates for further testing, copper sulfide and iron sulfide, also knows as fool’s gold.  In the second phase of the research, he experimented with new material engineering to synthesize pure, more stable nanocrystals of the compounds that were then made into solar cells.

“We were successful at demonstrating the first working solar cell made of those materials. So I view that as a foundation to build on,” says Wadia.

To date, the research has produced three peer-reviewed articles and two provisional patents.

Dr. Wadia finished his Ph.D. and moved into two new positions, guest scientist at LBNL and co-director of the Clean Tech to Market program at UC-Berkley’s Haas Energy Institute.  But the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy called.  Wadia was asked to serve a 1-year tour supporting President Obama's mission of making solar energy economically viable on a global scale. His role will be to carry out a broad range of advisory tasks, cross-agency coordination, and program management activities toward this goal.

When asked recently about his former graduate student’s new job, Paul Alivisatos, Director of LBNL, raised his hand as if to cheer saying, “Yes! Cyrus will do great things for us!”

Cyrus Wadia is one of hundreds of stars—EPA STAR Fellows that is, whose outstanding talent and personal missions are making a difference in our world.

Since 1995, the STAR fellowship program has encouraged promising students to obtain advanced degrees and pursue careers in an environmental field. Since its inception, the program has supported approximately 1,300 fellows and has proved to be beneficial to both the public and private sectors by providing a steady stream of well-trained environmental specialists to meet society’s current environmental challenges and address future green-related issues.

For more information about the program, visit http://www.epa.gov/ncer/fellow/.

Welcome to the inaugural issue of Science Matters,a newsletter devoted to sharing the innovative environmental and human health science conducted by EPA scientists and engineers and our partners.

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EPA Science Matters Newsletter

Environmental and public health students are invited to present their research at the 138th APHA Annual Meeting and Expo in Denver, Colorado, November 6-10, 2010. The Environment Section is seeking abstracts for presentations or posters about research studies, innovative policies, or programs that address an environmental public health problem.

The theme of the meeting is "Social Justice: Public Health Imperative." Many environmental public health concerns also are concerns of social justice. Environmental contaminants, pollution, and even climate change disproportionately affect underrepresented and underserved populations and these issues will be highlighted at the 2010 meeting.

The Environment Section program includes a Student Achievement Poster Award Track and a limited number of student travel awards also are available. Participation in the Environment Section's program provides opportunities to meet professionals in environmental health, network, learn about job opportunities, and become educated about important issues and best practices. To find out more about the Environment Section's program interests and instructions for submitting an abstract, the Section's Call for Abstracts can be found at: http://apha.confex.com/apha/138am/env.htm. The deadline for abstracts is February 5th. Check out the Environment Section website (http://www.apha.org/membergroups/sections/aphasections/env/) and the Facebook page (http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=33597204816).

APPLY YOUR SCIENCE TO SERVE SOCIETY

For 35 years, the AAAS Science & Technology Policy Fellowships have provided scientists and engineers with a unique opportunity to apply their knowledge and skills to national and international issues in the federal policy realm, while learning first-hand about establishing and implementing policy.

Fellows select assignments in Congressional offices or federal agencies. This is a year-long opportunity, beginning September 1 and ending August 31. Most federal agencies offer Fellows the opportunity to renew for a second year.

AAAS seeks candidates from a broad array of backgrounds and a diversity of geographic, disciplinary, gender, and ethnic perspectives, as well as disability status. Fellows have ranged in age from late 20s to early 70s. They represent a spectrum of career stages, from recent PhD graduates to faculty on sabbatical to retired scientists and engineers. Fellows also come from a range of sectors, including academia, industry, non-profit organizations, and government labs.

AAAS partners with approximately 30 scientific and engineering societies that also sponsor fellowships. They conduct separate application and selection processes and may provide different stipend and benefits support. Individuals interested in the Science & Technology Policy Fellowships are encouraged to apply with all scientific and engineering societies for which they qualify. Please see our website for details.

Eligibility & Criteria:
To be considered for a fellowship via AAAS, successful applicants must:

• Hold a doctoral level degree (PhD, ScD, MD, DVM, etc.), in any of the following:
  • Social and Behavioral sciences
  • Medical and Health sciences
  • Biological, Physical or Earth sciences
  • Computational sciences and Mathematics
  • Engineering disciplines
    (applicants with a MS in engineering and three or more years of post-degree professional experience also qualify)
    Note: All degree requirements must be completed by the application deadline
• Have solid scientific and technical credentials and the endorsement of three references
• Show a commitment to serve society
• Exhibit good communication skills, both verbally and in writing, and the ability to engage with non-scientific audiences
• Demonstrate integrity, problem-solving ability, good judgment, flexibility, and leadership qualities
• Hold U.S. citizenship Note: Federal employees are not eligible

STIPEND & BENEFITS:
Stipend: Approximately $73,000 to $95,000 (depending on years of experience and previous salary).

Relocation Allowance: Up to $4,000 for first-year Fellows with stipends via AAAS if move is greater than 50 miles outside Washington, D.C.

Health Insurance: Monthly reimbursements for Fellows who receive stipends via AAAS. Insurance coverage via agency for those hired directly as temporary federal employees.

Travel/Training: Minimum of $4,000 for Fellows receiving a stipend via AAAS, to be used for fellowship assignment-related travel, conferences, and/or training. Varies by placement and must be approved by supervisor.

Professional Development: A year-long program including orientation, monthly seminars, skill-building workshops, career sessions, and networking events.

AAAS SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY POLICY FELLOWSHIPS 2010-2011 PROGRAM AREAS

Applicants may apply to a maximum of two program areas.

Health, Education & Human Services 30-40 placements
Support improved programs, policies, planning, risk analysis, regulation, monitoring and evaluation for a broad range of initiatives in: Preventive and community health, disease identification and response, and medical research

• Individual, family and community social services, systems and support
• Food, processing and distribution safety
• Science education, research, and innovation

Anticipated placement opportunities:

• Department of Health and Human Services
• National Science Foundation
• Department of Veterans Affairs
• Food Safety Inspection Service of the Department of Agriculture
• National Institutes of Health

DIPLOMACY, SECURITY & DEVELOPMENT 30-40 placements
Infuse scientific and technical expertise into policy development and program planning, implementation and evaluation in the areas of:

• Foreign policy and international trade, treaty engagement, and multilateral cooperation
• Disaster preparedness and response
• Infrastructure, environmental, cyber and health security, terrorism and warfare prevention, and nonproliferation
• International aid, capacity building, and development assistance

Anticipated placement opportunities:

• Agency for International Development
• Department of Defense
• Department of Homeland Security
• Department of State
• Fogarty International Center of the National Institutes of Health
• Foreign Agricultural Service of the Department of Agriculture

Energy, Environment & Agriculture 30-40 placements
Engage in projects, policies, risk assessment, evaluation, and outreach initiatives to:

• Protect animal, plant and environmental health
• Address ecosystem degradation, pollution, and biological threats
• Tackle challenges and opportunities in agriculture, fisheries, climate change, and energy
• Safeguard air, water, land, wildlife, and natural resources

Anticipated placement opportunities:

• Department of Agriculture
• Forest Service
• Department of Energy
• Environmental Protection Agency
• National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
• National Science Foundation

Congressional 2 placements sponsored by AAAS*
Spend a year on Capitol Hill helping to research, develop and draft legislation and provide input to policy creation, regulatory review and oversight.

Anticipated placement opportunities: Offices of members of Congress and Congressional Committees

*Placements are available through approximately 30 scientific and engineering society partners. Individuals are encouraged to apply to AAAS as well as to any partner societies for which they qualify. For more information, visit: http://fellowships.aaas.org/01_society_partners/01_SponSocieties.shtml

EPA just launched Data Finder (www.epa.gov/datafinder), a single place to find EPA's data sources so people can access and understand environmental information. We encourage people to suggest new content and comment on its functionality. Comments will be displayed in a forum so people can build on each others' ideas and EPA can describe future directions for Data Finder.

EPA also will use Data Finder to discover raw data that can be accessed via Data.gov, a federal site that helps people find, download, and use datasets that are generated and held by the Federal Government.