Michigan State University BEACON research fellow Wendy Smythe has been awarded the AAAS Science & Technology Policy Fellowship. Wendy will be working at NSF within Education and Human Resources, the Division of Research on Learning in Formal and Informal Settings, Innovative Technology Experiences for Students and Teachers and Discovery Research PreK-12.
Fellows demonstrate leadership and excellence in their research careers, in addition to an interest in promoting meaningful dialogue between science and society, learning first-hand about policymaking while contributing their knowledge and analytical skills in federal policy. Fellows serve year-long assignments in the executive, legislative and judicial branches of the federal government in Washington.
Smythe received her doctorate in oceanography/environmental science from Oregon Health & Sciences University in 2015 and investigates microbe-mineral interactions from groundwater ecosystems and the evolution of microbial populations in metalliferious springs. She is also a Co-PI on a collaborative NSF GEOGOLD project to increase awareness of diversity in Geoscience.
In addition Smythe works to couple STEM with traditional ecological knowledge in an effort to increase representation of Native American/Alaska Natives in STEM disciplines, working with her tribal Haida community in Hydaburg Alaska.