The event I'm attending is the 2017 Science & Security and it is hosted by the Federation of American Scientists. Per the organizers, we are in a climate where the validity of facts is constantly challenged, an scientists can be more vocal proponents of nonpartisan and evidence-based policy. The speakers will address questions like where are scientists' places in the current political landscape? What roles do scientists have to play in the nations policy-making and security?

I have an interest in policy-making and science policy, and the knowledge and connections I can make at this meeting are valuable and unattainable in an academic research setting. This is evidenced by some of the speakers featured in the summit, like Dr. John Holdren, Former Advisor of Science to President Obama, Dr. Richard Meserve, and Dr. Rodney Wilson, among others. There will also be some distinguished graduate student speakers who I'll be able to share experiences with and learn from. I expect to gain a lot of perspective on the what political scene to expect as I progress through my doctoral studies, and what roles I might play during that time to set myself up for a potential career in science policy. I also expect to network with distinguished individuals in their professions, such as Dr. Holdren.

I'm requesting $350 dollars for this travel award. A rental car from Enterprise would be about $50, which includes an under 25yrs driver fee. The cheapest hotels I've found in the area average at $250 (link below), and round-trip gas will cost about $35 (35 mpg, 500mi). It would be preferable, and safer, to me to spend the night in a hotel rather than drive back to Roanoke, VA during the night.

Thank you for your consideration.

https://www.hotels.com/search/search.html?resolved-location=GEO_LOCATION%3A779%20Massachusetts%20Ave%20NW,%20Washington,%20DC%2020001,%20USA%7C38.90213394165039%7C-77.0218505859375%3AGEOCODE%3AUNKNOWN&f-nid=1633010&q-destination=779%20Massachusetts%20Ave%20NW,%20Washington,%20DC%2020001,%20USA&q-check-in=2017-04-21&q-check-out=2017-04-22&q-rooms=1&q-room-0-adults=2&q-room-0-children=0&sort-order=PRICE