Speaking truth to power
The scientist in charge of providing objective advice to US politics
Michael Fernandez would have never guessed he would be back at the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) more than 15 years after his first stint. In 1991, he came to Washington DC to work at the AAAS as a science and technology policy fellow. The programme brings scientists to the federal government for a year to work with congressional committees, allowing them to contribute their analytical skills and knowledge to the policymaking process. ‘It was a fantastic opportunity and it really changed by life,’ Fernandez says.