Kelvin Droegemeier, a longtime leader in science policy, joins host Megan Nicholson for this installment of Science Policy IRL. Droegemeier began his career as a research meteorologist and went on to serve in many different leadership roles in state and federal government. He directed the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy from 2019–2021, served on the National Science Board from 2004–2016, and served on the Oklahoma Governor’s Science and Technology Council from 2011–2019. He is currently a professor and Special Advisor to the Chancellor for Science and Policy at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. 

On this episode, Droegemeier shares what it’s like to work on science policy at the state and federal levels, discusses what he sees as the pressing science policy issues of our time, and reflects on his leadership roles in academia and government. 

Resources:

Read Kelvin Droegemier’s book, Demystifying the Academic Research Enterprise: Becoming a Successful Scholar in a Complex and Competitive Environment, to gain a better understanding of how the academic research enterprise works. 

Check out the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine project on Improving the Regulatory Efficiency and Reducing Administrative Workload to Strengthen Competitiveness and Productivity of US Research. 

Read Science, the Endless Frontier by Vannevar Bush and Issues’s project marking the anniversary of that report, The Next 75 Years of Science Policy, to learn more about the structure of scientific research in the United States. 

The National Science Board’s Science and Engineering Indicators provide important metrics to understand the current state of science and engineering. 

What is the future of American science and technology? Check out Vision for American Science and Technology (VAST) for a potential roadmap.