Engaging with politicians and policymakers
FLEET had four researchers at STA’s annual Science Meets Parliament, which was run as an online event in 2021.
Engaging with politicians and other policymakers is key for any Centre of Excellence, and pitching to politicians is also a key skill for researchers, regardless of their career stage.
FLEET’s four ECR delegates at Science Meets Parliament 2021 – Dr Eli Estrecho (ANU), Dr Peggy (Qi) Zhang (UNSW), Dr Gary Beane (Monash) and Dr Harley Scammell (UNSW) – were introduced to the machinery of government, received pitch and writing/communication training, and discussed research commercialisation and how to work with a mentor.
Participants also heard from a diverse mix of Australia’s top scientists, including Chief Scientist Cathy Foley and Chief Defence Scientist Tanya Monro.
“SMP was great!” says UNSW postdoc Dr Harley Scammell. “Thanks FLEET for hooking me up with that one. The workshop on ‘How to Marie Kondo your writing’ was an absolute winner for me. I needed it.”
“I learned a lot from both the speakers and the other participants,” says ANU postdoc Dr Eli Estrecho. “The discussions were informative, especially for a physicist like me who has never thought about public policy. It was great hearing from Chief Scientists and Science Advisers from state, federal and foreign (Singapore, NZ, and Canada) governments.”
“I also interacted with fellow participants working outside academia, for example, consultancies, CSIRO and Defence Science. It was enriching to know about their work and how they do their science,” says Eli.
After the event, Science and Technology Australia (STA) arranged interviews with delegates’ local MPs, which Harley described as “a candid conversation and quite fun”.
Eli agreed, saying “My interview with Trent Zimmerman (MP North Sydney) was great. He was prepared, taking notes and very interactive. He seems to know what he is talking about and he was familiar with data centres in his electorate so I really didn’t have to explain everything.”
Misha Schubert, CEO of STA, said: “Over the past week, it’s also been a privilege to join some of the many meetings between our delegates and Parliamentarians. Each time, it’s an inspiration to hear our STEM experts speak with passion and deep expertise in their fields. And it’s terrific to see the engagement of so many Ministers, Shadow Ministers, MPs and Senators with the possibilities of STEM.”
In talking to MPs and policymakers, and in perfecting their research ‘pitch’, Centre members put into action communication skills that have been keenly honed by the Centre’s significant schools outreach programs.
“Our experience doing science outreach to schoolkids provides the opportunity for us to think and practise how to explain science to the public,” explains UNSW postdoc Dr Peggy Zhang. “Also, we can feel some responsibility as a scientist in public science education.”
“Schools outreach experiences have helped me get the right tone for my research pitch to MPs and policymakers,” says Harley Scammel. “For example, I definitely stole a couple sentences and examples from what we’d presented a few years back at Scots College in Sydney.”
FLEET was a silver sponsor of this year’s Science Meets Parliament.
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