About Us
Forefront is a publication on Medium where the science and technology policy community can express their ideas about how to enhance society — now and into the future. We accept all nature of publications that fit within the Medium framework including nonfiction such as policy analysis and explainers, opinion pieces, fiction, poetry, and artwork (including cartoons and infographics) that focus on these topics.
We are willing to publish your radical ideas — BUT they must be based on facts and analysis. In addition, we are interested in partnering with other organizations that would like to republish their work here on Medium. For example, if you’ve published a blog on your organization’s website, we’d like to republish it here — providing a one-stop location for interesting perspectives on science and technology policy.
To publish on Forefront, prepare your article for publication on Medium, describe your relationship to the science and technology policy community at the end of your article, disclose any conflicts of interest, and then pick the drop-down option to propose it for publication on Forefront.
Three people will then review your article to ensure that it does not include derogatory or inappropriate language and that it is based on scientific and technical information and analysis. Our goal is to make this publication as open as possible to new ideas, so this is not a traditional peer review, but rather just a check to make sure your proposed publication meets our core standards. All articles are subject to fact-checking for accuracy and minor editing that you can review and approve prior to publication.
Forefront is made possible by generous support from the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation. The foundation fosters path-breaking scientific discovery, environmental conservation, patient care improvements and preservation of the special character of the San Francisco Bay Area.
Our Editors
Deborah D. Stine, PhD is founder and chief instructor of the Science and Technology Policy Academy. She is also a freelance consultant, policy analyst, writer, video producer, professor, teacher, trainer, and study director whose career has been dedicated to translating science and technology to policymakers, the public, students, and investors AND translating policymakers, the public, students, and investors to the science and technology community. During her over 30-year career, she’s worked for some of the top organizations in the country: the Obama Administration’s White House, the Congressional Research Service, the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, & Medicine, Carnegie Mellon University, and Lafayette College.
Rachel K. Owen, PhD is the founder and director of MOST Policy Initiative, the Missouri Local Science Engagement Network, and the state-level science policy fellows program in Missouri. Throughout her career, she has worked to elevate science in policy conversations at all levels of government and to empower the science community to build more effective relationships with policymakers.
Advisory Board
Advisory Board members join Forefront from leading organizations in science and technology policy and provide advice to the Forefront leadership.
Adriana Bankston, PhD is the Chief Executive Officer & Managing Publisher of the Journal of Science Policy & Governance. She is a scientist, advocate and mentor at the intersection of research, higher education, science policy, and workforce development. Adriana empowers early career researchers in science policy through a variety of leadership roles. She is a Biomedical Workforce & Policy Research Investigator at the STEM Advocacy Institute, as well as a member of the Engaging Scientists and Engineers in Policy (ESEP) Coalition Steering Committee. Adriana’s work has appeared in InsideHigherEd, Nature, Science Careers and the Union of Concerned Scientists Blog, in addition to blogs from several scientific societies.
Kevin Finneran was editor-in-chief of Issues in Science and Technology from 1991 to 2019. Issues is the quarterly policy journal published by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine and Arizona State University. Prior to that, he was Washington editor of High Technology magazine, a correspondent for the London Financial Times energy newsletters, and a consultant on science and technology policy. His clients included the National Science Foundation, the Office of Technology Assessment, the U.S. Agency for International Development, and the Environmental Protection Agency. Prior to launching his career in science and technology policy he taught literature and film studies at Rutgers University.
Richard Gallagher is President & Editor-in-Chief of Annual Reviews, a Palo Alto, California-based independent nonprofit science publisher. With 25 years’ experience in science editing and publishing, he is now leading efforts to position Annual Reviews, one of the world’s most prized repositories of scientific knowledge, as a public resource to promote engagement with research and enable rational debate on key societal issues.
Caitlin Warlick-Short is the Director of Communications for the National Science Policy Network. She is passionate about science and science education for everyone: young children, students, and adults in the community. In today’s world we are impacted by science and technology every day. She works at the intersection of science and policy to improve the quality of science education, and help shape science related legislation to improve the quality of life for everyone regardless of their socioeconomic background.
Lyndsey Gray, MSPH is a global health researcher and infectious disease epidemiologist with a life-long commitment to addressing complex public health problems with creative problem solving, innovation, and collaborative partnerships. She has trained at the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Emory University, Carnegie Mellon University and Colorado State University while leading disease prevention studies in Latin America and West Africa. She is also the Content manager for Engineers and Scientists Acting Locally and the National Science Diplomacy Network’s Science Diplomacy Committee Chair.
Affiliate Members
Forefront is pleased to work with science policy and science communication focused groups across the globe who are interested in contributing articles from and sharing articles with their networks. Examples of affiliate members include student science policy and communication clubs, state policy fellowship programs, think tanks, and academic centers.
If your organization is interested in becoming an affiliate member, please fill out this form and our editors will be in touch soon with more details.
Bridge Initiative in Science and Technology Policy, Leadership, and Communications interfaces between the scientists and technologists who are creating the knowledge within WVU’s strong land-grant mission, and the policymakers who make decisions that can be informed by this knowledge. We aim to have broad reach across the state of West Virginia and beyond, working with communities, policymakers, and scientists/technologists.
Catalysts for Science Policy (CaSP) is the graduate student science policy student organization at UW — Madison. CaSP has three main goals: Educate graduate students about science policy and emphasize the importance of increasing scientist participation in science policy issues; Increase graduate student awareness of various science policy careers and provide opportunities to help them become better candidates for these positions; and Communicate relevant science topics to government and funding agencies, and to the non-scientist community in Madison.
Connecticut Academy of Science and Engineering is a non-profit 501(c) 3 patterned after the National Academy of Sciences to identify and study issues and technological advancements that are or should be of concern to the state of Connecticut. It was founded in 1976 by a Special Act of the Connecticut General Assembly. The Academy’s goals are: to provide information and advice on science and technology to the government, industry and people of Connecticut; to initiate activities that foster science and engineering education of the highest quality, and promote interest in science and engineering on the part of the public, especially young people; and to provide opportunities for both specialized and inter-disciplinary discourse among its own members, members of the broader technical community, and the community at large.
Eagleton Science and Politics Initiative explores how science, technology, and American politics intersect; the political systems that connect them; and how deeper understanding and clearer communication within and across these disciplines can benefit policymakers, scientists, and the larger public.
MOST Policy Initiative is a nonprofit promotes long-term health, sustainability, and economic growth for people and communities by connecting science and policy at the state and local levels. They are home to the Missouri Science & Technology Policy Fellows Program and the Missouri Local Science Engagement Network.
Associate Editors
In order to publish opinions, analyses, and fact sheets in a timely manner, we rely on a team of volunteer associate editors who can assure that submissions are appropriate for the publication.
Responsibilities of Associate Editors:
- Review submissions for appropriateness (e.g., Does the submission meet the goals and scope of Forefront? Is the submission evidence-based?). Grammatical and copy editing are not required.
- Work with Editors-in-Chief to publish submission in appropriate place and with correct tags on Forefront.
- Recruit writers and affiliate members within your subject matter to increase quality Forefront submissions.
- Spread the word — actively help to promote Forefront on social media.
We anticipate that Associate Editor duties will take 2–3 hours/week when the publication is at full capacity. Hours may vary during the initial phases of the publication.
If you are interested in serving as a volunteer associate editor for Forefront, please fill out this form and our editors will be in touch soon with more details.
