Ambassador Dave Balton

For students in Penn State's Science Policy Society, a trip to D.C. to meet with policy-makers, advocates, researchers, fellows, and directors of agencies is a dream come true. In this long-form reflection episode, you will hear how a short 3-day trip in April left an impression on each student and, as we were surprised to find, our hosts as well. You will hear how our burning questions were addressed, myths were demystified, and connections we began have continued to be fostered. A heartfelt thank you to Penn State University Park Allocation Committee (UPAC) for helping to fund and make our trip possible.  Hosts: Maya Tanikawa-Brown and Ian Schneider; Guests: Erin Murray, Logan Larose, Dani Buchheister, Ava Spangler, Macy Hannan, and Tori Gamel; Edited by: Ian Schneider, Maya Tanikawa-Brown, and Marilena Papavassiliou; Organizations and people mentioned: AAAS, National Park Service - Joy Beasley, USDA - Sheila Fleischhacker, Wayne Connelly - @usda_museum_historical_society, Helena Chapman (NASA), John Hayes (NASA), and Kevin Conner, Congressional Research Services - Matt Barry, National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, Bureau of Reclamation - Brendan Tate, Environmental Protection Agency - Judy Lieberman and Khanna Johnston, AAAS Congressional Research Fellows and former SPS member - Chris Sala, SPS members - Hanna Leapaldt, Evan Fitzmaurice, and Matthew Hollingham, Environmental Activist - Laurene Allen; Music: Alexey Anisimov. (n.d.). Ambient Electronic Soundscape [Audio track]. Adobe Stock. Stock photos, royalty-free images, graphics, vectors & videos | Adobe Stock© 2026 Adobe. Premium Asset Licensed Under a Penn State Education License. 

From the School for the Future of Innovation in Society at Arizona State University, Dr. Timiebi Aganaba sits down and reflects with us on the recently hosted Space Diplomacy Workshop at Penn State. The workshop focused on the complex inner workings of theoretical resource extraction and policy on the moon. Dr. Aganaba also shares wisdom for pursuing a career in science policy and reflects on how effective space diplomacy transcends both science and politics. Host: Dani Buchheister; Guests: Dr. Timiebi Aganaba and Hana Leapaldt; Edited by: Ian Schneider, Maya Tanikawa-Brown, and Marilena Papavassiliou; Music: Alexey Anisimov. (n.d.). Ambient Electronic Soundscape [Audio track]. Adobe Stock. ⁠⁠⁠https://stock.adobe.com/search/audio?k=1900265139⁠© 2026 Adobe. Premium Asset Licensed Under a Penn State Education License.

In case we haven't met, we would like to reintroduce ourselves! SciPol Connect is a podcast by the Penn State Science Policy Society that aims to connect listeners to the world of science policy through the lens of graduate students. In this brief re-introductory episode, Science Policy Society members share about their graduate research passions, how their work intersects with science policy on a local and global scale, and future plans for the podcast.  Host: Marilena Papavassiliou; Guests: Maya Tanikawa-Brown, Ian Schneider, Dani Buchheister, Erin Johnson, and Hana Leapaldt; Edited by: Ian Schneider and Erin Johnson; Music: UncleChrisProduction. (n.d.). 80s Synth Pop Inspiration (Short 1) [Audio track]. Adobe Stock. ⁠https://stock.adobe.com/search/audio?k=1614197897 ⁠© 2025 Adobe. Premium Asset Licensed Under a Penn State Education License.

Many people who pursue careers at the intersection of science and policy describe their journey as nonlinear, but oftentimes in retrospect, it seems obvious that the relevant skills and passions, like science communication, were present in them all along. In this episode, we chat with Dr. Sydney Chamberlin, Project Manager for Climate & Nature-based Solutions at the Nature Conservancy. Sydney is an astrophysicist by training and even contributed to methods of detecting gravitational waves, which were first observed during her postdoc at Penn State. We discuss her "meandering" transition to a role in science policy and some of the groundbreaking work she engages in today with the Nature Conservancy. Guest: Sydney Chamberlin; Host: Hanna Leapaldt; Reporter: Angela Cleri; Music: Smartphone Zombie by Platinum Butterfly (c) copyright 2013 Licensed Under a Creative Commons Attribution Noncommercial (3.0) license.

Grad students in hard sciences are often made to believe that their career options post-graduation are limited to research positions in academia, industry, or national labs. However, the skills one develops during a PhD program are transferable to more job types and settings than expected. In this episode, we talk with Dr. Ashley White, who currently works at Lawrence Berkeley National Lab as both the Director of Communications for the Advanced Light Source and the Head of Strategic Development for the Energy Sciences Area. She discusses her non-traditional career path, difficult decisions she has had to make, and how the skills she has learned along the way make her uniquely qualified in her current job. We'll talk about the importance of her role at a national lab and a little bit about what kind of research actually goes on at LBNL. Guest: Ashley White; Host: Claire Rodman; Reporter: Angela Cleri: Produced by: Angela Cleri and Jeremy Sutherland; Music: Smartphone Zombie by Platinum Butterfly (c) copyright 2013 Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution Noncommercial (3.0) license.

Have you ever wondered who decides what is taught in schools and how those standards are written? Recently, the PA Board of Education assembled a committee to update the science standards for PA public schools for the first time in almost 20 years! The Penn State Science Policy Society interviewed Dr. Scott Mcdonald, a Professor of Science Education at Penn State, who was involved with the Steering Committee in developing the new standards. Check out our latest episode of SciPol Connect to hear the interview for a behind-the-scenes look at how these standards were written, some of the biggest issues facing STEM education, and career advice on pursuing science policy and science education! Guest: Scott Mcdonald; Host: Claire Rodman; Reporter: Hannah Leapaldt: Produced by: Angela Cleri and Jeremy Sutherland; Music: Smartphone Zombie by Platinum Butterfly (c) copyright 2013 Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution Noncommercial  (3.0) license.

SciPol Connect is a podcast by the Penn State Science Policy Society that aims to connect listeners with the experiences of leaders working in science policy. Whether you're considering a career in science policy or just like to geek out over science, this is a great podcast for you. In our very first podcast, we talk with Ambassador Dave Balton - Senior Fellow at the Wilson Center - about his career and the use of science in shaping ocean policy.  Guest: Dave Balton; Co-hosts: Jeremy Sutherland and Tara Pickens; Reporter: Claire Rodman: Edited by: Jeremy Sutherland; Music: Smartphone Zombie by Platinum Butterfly (c) copyright 2013 Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution Noncommercial  (3.0) license.