ISTPP Provides Added Value to the Bush School Experience

The Institute for Science, Technology and Public Policy provides opportunities for students in the Bush School to enhance their graduate education through participation in research teams addressing real-world policy issues. Selected students from both the Master of Public Service and Administration (MPSA) and Master’s Program in International Affairs (MPIA) work with research scientists, practitioners, and faculty on ISTPP’s interdisciplinary research projects. To date, more than fifty Bush School students have worked with ISTPP researchers. Currently, Bush students are working with ISTPP research staff on a number of projects: conducting literature reviews; providing data entry and data analysis; and assisting in writing manuscripts for scholarly journals, based on ISTPP research, including papers on air quality and risk perception.

In addition to Bush School students, ISTPP employs graduate and undergraduate students from other departments and programs at Texas A&M University, and other US and international universities. This cross-pollination provides an additional opportunity for Bush students to create multidisciplinary networks that can reach beyond college boundaries. ISTPP has also provided internship positions for several Bush students, further helping them with their professional development.  In addition to work on research proposals and projects, ISTPP researchers teach a number of courses within the Bush School, including the second-year Capstone class; quantitative methods courses; and courses on science and technology policy, information systems management, and international relations. Finally, ISTPP’s collaborators from around the globe provide an invaluable resource for Bush School students as they explore career objectives.