NAS Fellowship Goes to CEE Grad Student

Kimberly DuongDec. 11, 2017 - Kimberly Duong, a graduate student in the UC Irvine Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, has earned a prestigious fellowship from the National Academy of Sciences.

Duong was named a 2018 Christine Mirzayan Science and Technology Policy Graduate Fellow. She will spend 12 weeks early next year in Washington D.C. immersed in a full-time program developed to train fellows to participate in science policy at the federal, state or local level. Each fellow – typically 24-26 are in each year’s class – is assigned to a mentor, and learns about science and technology policy and the role that scientists and engineers play in advising the nation. The fellowship includes a $9,000 stipend.

Duong, a doctoral candidate whose adviser is civil and environmental engineering professor Stanley Grant, studies how external factors, such as conservation campaigns and technological innovation, influence urban water consumption. She will be assigned to the NAS Board on Atmospheric Sciences and Climate, and will attend the board’s meetings, engage in projects and participate in policy-related briefings. Fellows also have the opportunity to attend policy-related activities outside of the National Academies, like Congressional hearings and think-tank seminars.

Additionally, Duong and the other fellows will develop a discussion session focused around a science and technology policy issue. At the end of the 12 weeks, each fellow will present a talk to the forum focused on what s/he has learned.

“I was very honored and surprised to receive this fellowship,” said Duong, who hopes to complete her doctorate in 2019. “It’s a wonderful opportunity for me to learn about science policy, and I am excited to apply my research to an end-product that will reach a broad and diverse audience.”

- Anna Lynn Spitzer