Penn Science Policy and Diplomacy Group

by Erin Reagan On November 28th, the Penn Science Policy and Diplomacy Group was thrilled to welcome distinguished speaker Milan Yager, the Executive Director of the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering, to the University of Pennsylvania. His topic: Falling Out of Love with Science-- Why Congress Doesn't Fund Medical Innovation. Attendees heard about all the many innovations we use every day which were only made possible through generous federal funding for scientific research, from GPS technology to the iPhone screen. Mr. Yager also discussed the divide between many American voters and the scientists toiling away in their labs, as well as how to bridge the gap between the two seemingly very different worlds. Spoiler alert: the key is seeing the humanity in all people and taking time to understand each person's circumstances before casting aspersions on their opinions of things that might matter greatly to YOU but not to them. Mr. Yager concluded by ...

Ian interviews Molly Sheehan, postdoctoral fellow at the University of Pennsylvania's department of bioengineering, and candidate for Pennsylvania's 7th Congressional District. I chat with Molly about what it's like to run for office while still working in the lab and being a mother, her experiences so far on the campaign, what got her into politics, and her suggestions for college, graduate or medical students - or other postdocs - who are interested in getting politically engaged, but don't know where to start. Primary elections are on May 15th, 2018 General elections are on November 6th, 2018 If you're interested in volunteering for her, visit:  mollysheehan.org/contact/

Opinion: Clearing the Air About Unenforceable Policies by Kristina Victoreen Is a policy without enforcement really a policy, or is it just an aspiration? That question has been on my mind lately, in two different contexts, both related to the air we breathe. First, there’s Penn’s new “Tobacco-free Campus” policy. I first noticed the signs in November, when they quietly popped up here and there around campus. As someone who has spent many a lunch hour going from bench to bench all around campus in an often-vain attempt to find a place to sit and eat my lunch without having to breathe second-hand smoke, I was really excited to see those signs. But I confess I was much less excited when I went online and read the actual policy, particularly the section on enforcement. You can read it here . What it seems to say is that there is no enforcement, and if you have any questions, ask the person you report to or your Dean. In other words, Penn wants you to not smoke but ...