A Call to Young and Early Career Scientists: Consider Public Service
Some paths and lessons learned from answering the call.
Young people today are facing profound threats to their future -- from emerging infectious disease, climate change, biodiversity loss, and environmental pollution to gun violence and civil unrest, precarious employment and the rising cost of living, the loss of democratic freedoms, and the social, environmental, and economic injustices all around them. And then there’s the use, misuse, and overuse of social media, including the challenges of recognizing disinformation. Many young people are angry, impatient, energized, committed, and demanding that their elected leaders wake up and take urgent action to stem the tide of these growing threats to their future and to life on this planet.
With many societal issues deeply rooted in science and technology, young and early career scientists are crucial actors in creating the science-based policies needed to address them. They can be (and some already are) the change agents we so clearly need to protect and promote the health, safety, and well-being of our families, communities, and future generations. For people like me, and many of my colleagues that have been in science and public service for a long time, we are excited to pass the baton to the leadership of younger generations.
I felt the call to public service early in my career as a health services graduate student intern in a medical school, where I was inspired by a cadre of physicians, nurses, and public health advocates devoted to the health and safety of working people. This experience set me on a path that brought unplanned opportunities to move across sectors – from university faculty to federal service and then to leadership in a non-governmental organization (more about these multiple paths here ). I can attest to the joy and rewards of public service in both my professional positions and volunteer activities.
The good news is there are a multiplicity of paths and venues for young and early career scientists to apply their expertise, energy, and passion to make this world a better place -- one that is safer, healthier, more equitable, resilient, and sustainable. Fortunately, the boundaries between and across these paths are not siloed; they are fluid and ripe for engagement in different sectors, different ways, and at different levels.
Making a Difference: At and Beyond the Bench
With the considerable time (along with some blood, sweat, and tears) devoted to getting the necessary degree, training, and experience in a chosen field, you, as a young and early career scientist, may plan for a professional career as a bench scientist. Great! And certainly, you can choose to conduct scientific research that falls squarely in the public interest – over time and as science and societal challenges progress. Science has and continues to provide the knowledge and data critical to understanding, addressing, and ultimately leading to solutions related to air and water pollution; conservation and biodiversity; food, drug, and consumer product safety; chronic or emerging infectious disease; chemical and biological hazards; national security, and so much more.
Of course, you may be more drawn to science beyond the bench, such as engagement in policy, education, communications, health care delivery, philanthropy, management, or administration – perhaps based in academia, the private sector, the public sector, or in a non-profit or community-based organization. OK! There are public service opportunities in all of them. You could, for example, provide technical assistance to community groups, serve on Boards or advisory committees, and testify at public hearings. Maybe, like me, you want to focus on public health and environmental policy to advance worker and community health through education and advocacy. Or use your expertise and experience in health care, engineering, or economics to inform and advance public policy in service of the public good.
Of course, you can become a bona fide “public servant” – and work directly as part of government. Forget the “conventional wisdom” that government can’t get anything done. Actually, the government is crucial to solving real problems in nearly every field of study. While often and unfairly maligned, government service is a highly rewarding experience and a profound opportunity to directly influence the policies and services that protect and promote the health, safety, and well-being of our families, communities, and environments. It also provides excellent human resource benefits and professional opportunities to move across projects, agencies, and geographies. The government needs and brings together bright and creative minds to address existing and emerging challenges – so consider it seriously.
Yes, the government is big, challenging, and sometimes frustrating, but it is government that shoulders the tasks that are hardest. It is government scientists whose work goes from theory to practice, affecting the lives of people everywhere most directly. There are resources that can help you explore this path. For example, the Union of Concerned Scientists has produced a toolkit and assembled resources to help scientists apply for federal jobs – applicable to other levels of government service, as well.
No matter what paths or series of paths you choose, as early career scientists, you can contribute your voice, energy, talent, and expertise in the service of the public. And reap great personal and professional satisfaction from your efforts. My own path led to some unexpected and highly rewarding opportunities, such as chairing a statutorily-created national advisory committee for two federal agencies, serving on several National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine committees, and a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to serve as the Acting Director of the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health during a period of two national crises (the 9/11 attack on the World Trade Center and during the crisis of anthrax-laced mail in post offices and in the halls of Congress).
Perhaps some of the lessons I learned will help others. With young and early career scientists in mind, I offer some quick takeaways:
The Do’s:
Look for opportunities and take advantage of them. Start as a student, but don’t stop there!
Be willing to take risks. Every opportunity won’t work out, but some will. So, keep trying!
Find role models and mentors. People in every field like to share their experience and help you find your path. But remember, it is your path. You make the choices.
Learn from the experience of others—in science and society writ large. And keep learning.
Be open to possibility of change. Early career choices aren’t static; they don’t have to define you forever.
Set near-, medium-, and long-term goals for yourself. If you don’t reach a goal, adjust and re-evaluate. It’s not failure, it’s learning.
The Don’ts:
Think that today’s problems and societal challenges are someone else’s to worry about.
Assume that publishing scientific papers, teaching courses, and/or conducting research is all you have to contribute.
Hold yourself apart from the public sphere and refrain from speaking out on public policy.
Think that speaking out on societal issues and expressing your values diminishes your “objectivity” as a scientist.
Be afraid to get out of your comfort zone.
Think that options/paths are static and that your choices can never be altered.
And finally, never say never. Many doors are open to you. Create and recreate paths for yourself. Young scientists, the world needs you.
About the Author
Kathleen Rest is a Senior Fellow in Boston University’s Institute for Global Sustainability and former Executive Director of the Union of Concerned Scientists where she oversaw the organization’s work on climate change, clean energy & transportation, sustainable agriculture, and protecting the integrity of science in public policy. She previously served as the Acting Director of the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health in the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and has held faculty appointments at several medical schools. She has served on committees for the National Academies and authored publications on occupational and environmental health issues. She is a Board member for the Association of Occupational and Environmental Clinics and the Institute for Policy Integrity at the NYU Law School. She is an Elected Fellow of the AAAS and a member of the American Public Health Association. She has a PhD in health policy from Boston University and a MPA from the University of Arizona.
The opinions expressed in the posts on SciLight are those of the individual authors.
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