Paleontological Society/AGI Summer Intern Report, Part 2: Sophie Hanson

Paleontological Society intern Sophie Hanson (right) is working with the American Geosciences Institute in Washington, D.C. this summer, along with American Geoscience interns Jackie Richards (middle) and Lia Pikus (left).

 

(The following is the second report by Paleontological Society intern Sophie Hanson on her experiences in Washington, D.C. this summer; her first report is here.)

Hello, Paleontological Society!

Here is another dispatch from Washington D.C.! Since I last wrote, I have seen even more of Capitol Hill. I attended a Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee hearing covering liquefied natural gas and a House Subcommittee on the Environment, and a Climate Change hearing on decarbonizing the US economy (which happened to be on the same floor and at the same time as the most recent Robert Mueller hearing).

Furthermore, I was fortunate enough to sit down with the 2018-2019 AGI Congressional
Fellow Ryan Edwards. He described his experiences working in the offices of Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), which included assisting with legislation on carbon sequestration and providing scientific insight to both speech-writing and communications with other offices. His experiences solidified for me the deep importance of having scientists actually working in the offices of our elected officials. Without that presence, scientific processes can be poorly explained and incorrect information can slip through the cracks. My own research project has highlighted how both the science community and the general public can benefit from the insights and advocacy of scientists.

– Sophie Hanson, Paleontological Society Intern