3Q: William Bonvillian on connecting Cambridge and Capitol Hill
From climate change to health and medicine, many of today’s national policy issues are intrinsically linked to science and technology. A scant few of the lawmakers shaping these policies were trained as scientists or engineers, however. Fortunately for them, they have William Bonvillian and his team in the MIT Washington Office. The Washington Office provides a two-way conduit for information between the Institute and policymakers on Capitol Hill. Directed by Bonvillian for the last 11 years, the office ensures that knowledge generated at MIT makes an impact among decision makers in the White House, Congress, national research and development agencies, and other Washington organizations. The office also helps MIT’s leadership and faculty stay abreast of policy developments in R&D funding, innovation, energy, or other areas where science, technology, and policy intersect. Bonvillian, who announced today that he will be stepping down in January, was a senior policy advisor in the U.S....