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Congressional Science and Engineering Fellowship Program Information Session

Monday, April 10
4:15 pm - 5:15 pm
Marriott, Lower B2 Level, Nob Hill

MRS offered an exciting opportunity for scientists to learn about the field of science policy and contribute their scientific expertise to the policymaking process by spending one year as a Special Legislative Assistant in the U.S. Congress in Washington, DC.

Participants learned about the MRS/Optica Congressional Science and Engineering Fellowship, gained tips on applying, and heard from current and former Fellows about their experiences as scientists in the Senate and House of Representatives.

Learn more about the MRS/Optica Fellowship »

Brandon Blackwell

 

Ashley White
Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory

Ashley White is the head of strategic development and communications for Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory’s Energy Sciences Area and the Director of Communications for Advanced Light Source, a DOE Office of Science synchrotron light source user facility at Berkeley Lab. In these roles, she draws on her background as a materials researcher and science policy advisor to inform science strategy and convey key accomplishments to current and potential facility users and the science research community, federal funders and policymakers, and the general public. Prior to joining Berkeley Lab, she served as an MRS/OSA Congressional Science & Engineering Fellow working in the office of U.S. Senator Al Franken and in the National Science Foundation’s Division of Materials Research as an AAAS Science and Technology Policy Fellow. She also previously managed the materials research program at the U.S. Green Building Council. She received a PhD degree in materials science from the University of Cambridge, and a BS degree and BA degree in materials science and engineering and music, respectively, from Virginia Tech. She is a past recipient of the MRS Woody White Service Award. In addition to serving as an MRS Meeting Chair, White’s MRS volunteer activities include chairing the Focus on Sustainability subcommittee and the MRS Congressional Fellowship selection committee and serving on the editorial advisory board of MRS Energy & Sustainability. 

 

Brandon Blackwell

 

Jimmy O'Dea
California Department of Transportation

Jimmy O’Dea is the Assistant Deputy Director for Transportation Electrification at the California Department of Transportation. His work focuses on advancing zero-emission solutions across the department’s transportation portfolio. He was previously Deputy Director of Trucks at CALSTART and Senior Vehicles Analyst at the Union of Concerned Scientists, where he played key roles in the strengthening and adoption of first-of-their-kind policies for electric trucks and buses. Dr. O’Dea was the 2014-2015 MRS/Optica Science and Engineering Congressional Fellow in the office of U.S. Senator Brian Schatz, where he focused on energy and climate policy. In postdoctoral and graduate research in chemistry at Cornell University and the University of California, Santa Barbara, he studied materials used in fuel cells, batteries, and solar cells.

 

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