Operations research, analytics, data science, and other related disciplines enable individuals and organizations to transform data into insights that facilitate better, more informed decision-making in order to save lives, save money, and solve problems.

And in no place is informed decision-making more important than at the highest levels within the U.S. government, where every day policymakers are making decisions and shaping policy that will impact our day-to-day lives.

But how can we ensure that the individuals making these important decisions have the tools or awareness they need? By connecting them with resources and people who are knowledgeable about O.R. and analytics.

Over the past several years, the INFORMS advocacy program has focused on elevating the work and expertise of INFORMS members and, positioning them as subject matter experts in the national media and the policy ecosystem surrounding the federal government in Washington, DC.

As part of this ongoing effort, INFORMS collaborates with other professional associations and societies to extend its reach and impact. This includes the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), whose Science & Technology Policy Fellowships, known as the STPF program, provide opportunities to outstanding scientists and engineers to learn first-hand about policymaking while contributing their knowledge and analytical skills to the federal policymaking process.

For this episode I am pleased to welcome two fellows in the STPF program, Rachel Levy, a Science and Engineering Fellow in the Senate sponsored by the American Mathematical Society, and Regina Pope-Ford, a AAAS Science and Technology Policy Fellow at the National Science Foundation in the Engineering Directorate's Engineering Education and Centers Division.