The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Science and Technology Policy Initiative (COPA-STEP) is seeking to bridge the gap between the scientific community and policy makers in Pennsylvania. The primary goal of COPA-STEP is to establish a non-partisan state level science policy fellowship for advanced degree holders in science. Fellows will act as a trusted scientific resource for policy makers as they make important policy decisions. The establishment of COPA-STEP follows trends around the nation as state science policy fellowships are established.
News
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COPA-STEP welcomes Patricia Gruver-Barr as Program Administrator
April 2024
As part of COPA-STEP’s exciting growth as an organization, we are thrilled to welcome Patricia Gruver-Barr as the organization’s first Program Administrator. Patricia is a 7th generation Pennsylvanian who brings over a decade of experience in science policy, having worked in science diplomacy, tech diplomacy, and tech policy in government and think tanks. She has worked on policy issues ranging from agritech to AI to marine science to microbiome research. Patricia holds a B.S. in Biology from Ursinus College in Pennsylvania and a Master of Public Health and Epidemiology from the University of Sydney in Australia.
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Virtual Info Session for the Governor's Science and Technology Fellowship
March 27th, 2024
COPA-STEP hosted a virtual info session for Pennsylvania’s newest science policy fellowship.
The deadline to apply is April 7th!
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COPA-STEP and the Pennsylvania Science Policy Bootcamp
January 24, 2024
COPA-STEP hosted the our first panel discussion of the year with Pennsylvania House Appropriations Committee Chair, Representative Jordan Harris, and the Deputy Secretary of Technology and Entrepreneurship, Jen Gilburg. The session engaged the panelists with audience members in a discussion centered around the role of science in policy making in the Pennsylvania State Government.
Stay tuned for future engagments!
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COPA-STEP and Penn State Law, Policy and Engineering receive $100K from the National Conference of State Legislatures
November 2023
Over the next year, we will use the $100,000 planning grant to further ongoing relationships with Penn State and the Pennsylvania (PA) General Assembly, build support for a science and technology policy fellowship as a reliable, non-partisan source for scientific information to the PA General Assembly, and begin training the next generation of COPA-STEP fellows in science and technology policy.
