"To really understand science policy, you have to step outside the lab and see it in action," says Jack Fletcher, an MIT PhD student in nuclear science and engineering and chair of the 15th annual Executive Visit Days (ExVD). Inspired by this mindset, ExVD ' jointly organized by the MIT Science Policy Initiative (SPI) and the MIT Washington Office ' convened a delegation of 21 MIT affiliates, including undergraduates, graduate students, and postdocs, in Washington Oct. 27-28. Although the government shutdown prevented the delegation's usual visits to executive agencies, participants met with experts across the federal science and technology policy ecosystem. These discussions built connections in the nation's capital, displayed how evidence interacts with political realities, and demonstrated how scientists, engineers, and business leaders can pursue impactful careers in public service. A recurring theme across meetings was that political realities and institutional constraints, not...
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