Coloradans deliver new policy ideas to strengthen the workforce, leverage the economic benefits of emerging technology, and increase land, climate and energy resilience
Washington, DC – With the shape of federal policymaking uncertain, and as midterm elections fast approach, states have a golden opportunity to experiment with policy and provide testing grounds for worthy policy ideas. To meet this unique moment, the Federation of American Scientists teamed up with the Association of Science and Technology Centers (ASTC) and the Institute for Science & Policy (ISP) at the Denver Museum of Nature & Science to surface policy ideas for the Colorado Future Systems Policy Sprint.
“With so much disruption and partisan gridlock at the federal level, states must step up to meet the challenges that concern the public with innovative policy solutions. As laboratories of democracy, states like Colorado can stress-test evidence-based policy solutions to address an aging labor market, climate change, and shifting energy demands – challenges so many other states face as well,” says Dr. Jedidah Isler, FAS Chief Science Officer. “Whoever wins Colorado’s gubernatorial election should be equipped to provide for their public, and the proposals that emerged from the Colorado Future Systems Policy Sprint are a great place to start.”
From dozens of applications, FAS, ASTC, and ISP chose the nine most-promising for an intensive policy sprint, where contributors honed their ideas into action-ready policy memos, equipped with step-by-step instructions for implementation. The memos span issues central to Colorado’s future: water scarcity, electric grid vulnerabilities, workforce development, energy capacity, wildfire resilience, and more. All memos are bespoke to Colorado’s policy-creation process, and are written by Coloradans.
The Colorado Future Systems Policy Sprint is FAS’s first state-level policy sprint. Policy sprints are key incubators for “policy entrepreneurship,” FAS’s method for equipping individuals with strong ideas with the technical assistance to develop policy.
“The strongest policy proposals are built with the people who live with the challenges those policies aim to solve,” said Christofer Nelson, President and CEO of ASTC. “ASTC connects science and technology with the public, and by bringing that to FAS’s rigor in policy entrepreneurship and ISP’s deep Colorado relationships and policy experience, we helped shape proposals informed by stakeholders from communities they’re meant to serve.”
“Good decisions start with good processes,” says Kristan Uhlenbrock, Executive Director of the Institute for Science & Policy at the Denver Museum of Nature & Science. “What made this sprint valuable was not only the ideas that surfaced but how they were produced: with evidence, community engagement, and a non-partisan approach. These are ideas from Colorado leaders and based on the realities communities are living in across the state.”
About the Federation of American Scientists
The Federation of American Scientists (FAS) works to advance progress on a broad suite of contemporary issues where science, technology, and innovation policy can deliver transformative impact, and seeks to ensure that scientific and technical expertise have a seat at the policymaking table. Established in 1945, FAS continues to bring scientific rigor and analysis to address national challenges.
About the Institute for Science & Policy
Established in 2018, the Institute for Science & Policy at the Denver Museum of Nature & Science elevates evidence-informed and data-driving thinking on societally relevant issues. The Institute is non-partisan and designed to work across divides to help solve our most complex statewide, national, and global challenges such as climate change, energy, public health, technology, and more. The Institute’s overall objective is for science to become a second-nature consideration in public discourse and policymaking by providing resources and tools to facilitate productive conversations.
About the Association of Science and Technology Centers
Founded in 1973, the Association of Science and Technology Centers (ASTC) is a network of more than 600 science and technology centers and museums, and allied organizations, engaging nearly 110 million people annually across North America and in more than 35 countries. With its members and partners, ASTC works towards a vision of increased understanding of and engagement with science and technology among all people to enhance lives and livelihoods, strengthen communities, and sustain the planet.