Who we are: We are a graduate and undergraduate student organization at the University of Louisville, interested in helping others understand the importance of science. Our goals are to: 1) Educate the community about science research, careers, and policy 2) Expose students to science-related careers and research at a younger age 3) Create a dialog with members of congress in order to promote science-based policy and STEM education.
Our purpose: To create and facilitate a dialogue between students in the sciences, members of congress, and the community in order to mutually benefit all groups.
Membership: This group is not only for students; post-docs, faculty, and members of the community are also welcome to be apart of activities put on by this organization.
What is Science Policy and why should I care?
Science policy concerns the policies that are related to, or affect, the conduct of science and research (e.g. research funding); as well as applying scientific knowledge to the development of public policy. These policies affect everyone in a variety of ways. Biomedical research increases our quality of life by studying new treatments for diseases. Basic science research provides the foundation of all of our scientific knowledge and allows us to discover more about our world (and leads to many surprising discoveries that can increase our quality of life). Both of these fields of research contribute to the economy by providing jobs, new companies and industries are formed, there is a generation of revenue through new innovations, and it keeps the US globally competitive in Research & Development. What we learn via research should also be applied to relevant new laws; thus making the most informed and responsible changes to our policies. Over the course of American history many societal advances have been driven by progress in science, and we believe that is a practice that should continue.
SPOG Member Meetings
Member meetings take place the 1st Thursday of every month.