Massachusetts Summer Science and Technology Policy Fellowship (MASSTPF)
THREE YEAR PILOT
In the summer of 2019, the Scientific Citizenship Initiative launched a three-year pilot of the Massachusetts Summer Science and Technology Policy Fellowship (MASSTPF) to test a simple idea: what happens when you put scientists directly into the rooms where policy is made? Over three summers, twelve STEM graduate students from Harvard and MIT served as advisers to Massachusetts state legislators, applying their research skills to real policy questions on issues such as public health, technology, and the environment.
For the students, the fellowship was a formative civic leadership experience that built skills in policy analysis, stakeholder engagement, and public communication that carry into their future careers in and beyond academia. For the legislature, it created a new source of trusted scientific insight. Offices that hosted fellows gained capacity to research complex science and technology topics, respond to constituents, and test new ideas. Demand grew quickly, from two offices in 2019 to thirteen in 2021, a clear signal of how valuable this support was to policymakers.
Following the success of this pilot, SCi incorporated the fellowship into the Civic Science Clinic and began designing a more inclusive, statewide program that would open opportunities to a broader and more diverse pool of students across the Commonwealth. The lessons from MASSTPF’s pilot phase now inform SCi’s broader effort to build durable pathways for scientists to serve in public roles and strengthen civic institutions.
“In the office of Sen. Paul Mark at the Massachusetts State House, I focused on providing the office with a comprehensive understanding of the healthcare needs in the Senator’s district, covering all of Berkshire county and parts of Hampden, Franklin and Hampshire… This work improved my understanding of how the Massachusetts government functions, and allowed me to refine my communication skills for a non-scientific audience.”
– Rachel Petherbridge
“Rachel brought an exceptional researcher’s mindset into our office. She independently designed and conducted interviews with public health leaders, synthesized complex community health data, designed experiments and frameworks for evaluation/prioritization and translated it all into clear, evidence-based recommendations. Her structured and thoughtful analysis added a level of depth and rigor that far exceeded what we could typically achieve within our regular capacity. The frameworks and insights she developed will continue to inform our work long after her internship has ended.”