Courtney Hill
AAAS recently named University of Arkansas alumna Courtney Hill as a Technology Policy Fellow. During her one-year fellowship, Hill will help provide actionable, science-based policy for the U.S. State Department.
Hill currently serves as a program officer at the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. Hill is an honors graduate of the School of Engineering, majoring in Civil Engineering and minoring in Sustainability.
She previously served as a Fulbright English Teaching Assistant and completed her doctoral research as a National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellow. She is one of 300 trained scientists and engineers selected as the 50th AAAS Policy Fellows.
As a fellow, Hill will gain first-hand experience with federal policy development and implementation, while contributing her expertise to the work of the U.S. State Department.
“Throughout my career, I have had the privilege of working with scientists from all over the world. Seeing the impact of these collaborations has instilled in me the importance of science in multilateral affairs,” Hill said. “This fellowship will allow me to work at the heart of science diplomacy and gain access to a valuable network of other fellows with a STEM background interested in policy.”
“AAA Policy Fellows have excelled in science policy for the past half-century – defining what it means to be a scientist and an engineer in policymaking,” said Rashada Alexander, director of the Science and Technology Policy Fellows Program and alumni researcher. Alexander said. “In our 50th year of collaboration with the U.S. government and many respected scientific societies and supporters, we are delighted to welcome our newest curriculum and follow their important contributions to policy, science and society. “
In addition to her professional responsibilities, Hill is a visiting advisor to the U of A National Competition Awards Office, where she supports the office with applications for STEM science, technology, engineering, and mathematics.
“Dr. Hill has done a fantastic job for our office,” said Suzanne McRae, vice provost for admissions and director of admissions and nationally competitive awards. “As a visiting advisor, she mentors students on Fulbright U.S. Student Fellowships and NSF Graduate Research Fellowships. U or A students are fortunate to benefit from her expertise. We are very proud of her many accomplishments, including now Selected as an AAAS Policy Fellow. She deserves recognition in this country.”
The Science and Technology Policy Fellows program supports evidence-based policymaking by leveraging the knowledge and analytical thinking of science and engineering experts and trains leaders for powerful U.S. technology enterprises. Fellows represent the full range of disciplines, backgrounds and career stages.
The 2022-23 fellowship program is sponsored by the American Association for the Advancement of Science, the Moore Foundation, and Partner Associations. Of the 300 fellows selected, 31 will serve in Congress, 1 will serve in the Federal Justice Center, and 268 will serve in the executive branch of 19 federal agencies or departments.
After receiving scholarships, many remain in politics, working at the federal, state, regional or international level, while others pursue careers in academia, industry or the nonprofit sector.
The STPF program was established in 1973 and will celebrate its 50th anniversary in 2023. AAAS will celebrate this milestone as STPF establishes a formal alumni network – approximately 4,000 people – to inspire and support collaboration among alumni to further STPF’s mission to connect evidence-based decision-making – to develop public policy.
Visit www.aaas.org/stpf to learn more about the AAAS Science and Technology Policy Fellowship.
About AAAS: The American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) is the world’s largest general science society and publisher of the journal sciencealso Science Translational Medicine; scientific signal; digital, open access journals, scientific progress; scientific immunology; and scientific robot. AAAS, founded in 1848, includes more than 250 affiliated societies and academies serving 10 million people. science Has the largest paid circulation of any peer-reviewed general scientific journal in the world. The non-profit AAAS is open to all and fulfills its mission to “advance science and serve society” through initiatives in science policy, international programs, science education, public engagement, and more. For more information about AAAS, visit www.aaas.org.
About the University of Arkansas: As Arkansas’ flagship institution, U of A provides an internationally competitive education in more than 200 academic programs. Founded in 1871, U of A has contributed more than $2.2 billion to the Arkansas economy by teaching new knowledge and skills, entrepreneurship and employment development, discovery through research and creative activity, and training in specialized disciplines. The Carnegie Foundation ranks A-University as one of the few colleges and universities in the United States with the highest levels of research activity. U.S. News & World Report Ranked U of A as the top public university in the nation. Find out how U of A is building a better world at Arkansas Research News.