Jamie Vernon
David L. Garin Science Policy Lecture
Wednesday, April 2nd, 2025
Missouri History Museum, Forest Park
5:15 PM
Pre-registration is required;
Sign-in between 5:00 and 5:15 PM
Dr. Jamie Vernon, Executive Director and CEO, Sigma Xi
“Cultivating a Generation of Civic Scientists Through Science Policy”
The role of scientists is expanding beyond the bench. Many within the scientific community and beyond are calling for scientists to use their research knowledge and skills to benefit society in a multitude of ways, including through science policy. Opportunities to participate in science policy-related activities include providing science and policy education and training in and outside the classroom; writing science policy articles, books, and reports to guide knowledge in the field; engaging the public through science and civic actions; and contributing to legislative, executive, and judicial processes through advocacy, advice, and analysis. During this interactive presentation, various ways of repurposing scientific expertise towards translational skills that serve the public good will be discussed. In addition, best practices for scientists to engage in policy-making will be shared. This information is designed to enable the next generation of researchers to broaden their impact outside the laboratory. In doing so, research culture and society will be positively transformed through the two-way process of civic science.
For pre-registration, please contact: Joy Manore, Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Missouri – Saint Louis, e-mail: jdmg5p@umsl.edu
Jamie Vernon is executive director and CEO at Sigma Xi, The Scientific Research Honor Society and publisher of American Scientist. From 2014 to 2017, he served as Sigma Xi’s director of science communications and publications and editor-in-chief of American Scientist. A molecular biologist by training, he spent more than a decade developing genetic engineering tools, analyzing HIV-neutralizing antibodies for vaccine production, and studying the effects of gene duplication on evolution and development. He pivoted toward science policy and communication after serving as an American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) Science & Technology Policy Fellow and subsequently as an Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education (ORISE) Fellow at the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE). Currently, he is dedicated to promoting excellence in science and engineering and building public trust in the research enterprise.
