WARRENDALE, PA—The Materials Research Society and The Minerals, Metals & Materials Society have selected Jeremy W. Ward, Wake Forest University, as the 2015-2016 MRS/TMS Congressional Science and Engineering Fellow. Ward will serve a one-year term working as a special legislative assistant on the staff of a member of Congress or congressional committee.
Ward will begin his fellowship in early September in Washington, D.C., starting with an intensive science policy orientation facilitated by the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) designed to introduce Executive Branch Fellows and Congressional Fellows from more than three dozen scientific societies to the fellowship program. Following orientation, the new Fellow will go through an interview and selection process with offices of senators, representatives or committees on Capitol Hill. Offices will extend offers, and Ward will choose the office in which he will spend his fellowship year.
"Science, to me, is more than the culmination of facts and equations," said Ward. "It is the combination of those, with the ability to view a problem from a variety of perspectives and then use those perspectives to generate creative solutions. I am very excited to use my technical and interdisciplinary experience as the MRS/TMS Science and Engineering Congressional Fellow-to help build on the effectiveness of the legislative methods in addressing science and education problems and to improve upon my understanding of the policy-making process."
Kevin Whittlesey, incoming MRS government affairs committee chair, said, "Jeremy's technical background, combined with his military experience and demonstrated interest in and commitment to community engagement, will be of tremendous benefit to the Congressional office in which he is placed. I am sure that his range of experience and interest in policy issues, including STEM education, will be very attractive to Congressional offices."
The purpose of the Congressional Fellowships program is to bring technical and scientific backgrounds and external perspectives to the decision-making process in Congress. Typically, Fellows conduct legislative or oversight work, assist in Congressional hearings and debates, prepare briefs and write speeches as a part of their daily responsibilities. By applying his scientific expertise in this policy environment, Ward will help to broaden awareness of the value of scientist- and engineer-government interaction.
Each year, following a formal application process, finalists are interviewed and a Fellow is selected by committees comprised of volunteer members from MRS and TMS. For more information on the selection process, visit the MRS website.
About the MRS/TMS Fellow
Jeremy W. Ward received his B.A. degree in physics and mathematics in 2006 from Simpson College and went on to earn his Ph.D. degree in physics in 2015 from Wake Forest University. His doctoral research interests included investigations on the self-patterning fabrication and electrical properties of solution-processed organic field-effect transistors within the Organic Electronics Research Group led by Professor Oana D. Jurchescu. Ward was a 2013 Wake Forest University Richter Scholar, serving as a visiting researcher at the Institute of Materials Science of Barcelona (ICMAB). He became a National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellow (NSF-GRFP) in 2012, and is currently serving in that position.
Ward draws from his passion of working with people, specifically those interested in learning and working together in creative and productive ways. He will provide a unique perspective to a Congressional office by drawing from his experiences in the United States military, as a youth soccer coach, as a PhD scholar within the materials science community, and through his strong ties to the secondary education community. While Ward's future policy interests include STEM education, ranging from early childhood to post-secondary stages, he is looking forward to learning about the interdisciplinary nature of using federal policy to address the science and education-related problems of today.
About the Materials Research Society
MRS is an organization of over 12,000 materials researchers from academia, industry and government worldwide, and a recognized leader in promoting the advancement of interdisciplinary materials research and technology to improve the quality of life. MRS members are students and professionals hailing from physics, chemistry, biology, mathematics and engineering—the full spectrum of materials research. Headquartered in Warrendale, Pennsylvania (USA), MRS membership now spans 90 countries, with approximately 45 percent of members residing outside the United States.
MRS serves and engages members across generations to advance their careers and promote materials research and innovation. The Society produces high-quality meetings and publications, assuring that members of all career stages can present and publish their most important and timely work to an international and interdisciplinary audience. MRS continues to expand its professional development portfolio, as well as promote diversity and inclusion in the scientific workforce, with career services for researchers worldwide. The Society advocates for the importance of scientific research and innovation to policymakers and the community. And the MRS Awards program honors those whose work has already had a major impact in the field, as well as those whose work shows great promise for future leadership.
For more information about the Materials Research Society visit
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@Materials_MRS.