Samuel Park, a Master of International Affairs candidate, has been named this year’s recipient of the Vedlitz Award for Excellence in Science and Technology Policy Studies. The award recognizes a graduating student who has demonstrated excellence in science and technology studies through work completed as a graduate assistant researcher, class projects, capstone coursework, or individual research papers. The award is open to both international affairs and public service and administration students in the Bush School.
Park was nominated for the award by Dr. Ren Mu, who highlighted his ability to integrate technical expertise with policy analysis. His research paper, “China Brain Project: Fusing Brain Intelligence and Artificial Intelligence,” provided extremely solid and timely analysis of Beijing’s initiative to achieve global leadership in next-generation AI. As a team lead in the Economic Statecraft Program, Park developed machine learning solutions using LangChain and Python to enhance data collection methods, demonstrating his capacity to integrate technical expertise with policy research methods.
During his intern with the Advanced Research Laboratory for Intelligence and Security (ARLIS), Park characterized “platform technologies” and their innovation acceleration potential, presenting findings to the Office of Undersecretary of Defense for Research & Engineering. This experience showcases his ability to analyze novel technologies and effectively communicate their policy implications to high-level decision-makers.
Dr. William Norris, associate professor of Chinese foreign and security policy at the Bush School said, “Sam has used his time at the Bush School to demonstrate how regional expertise can be effectively blended with science and technology to equip the next generation of public servants.”
Upon Learning of the award Park said, “Thank you for this honor, and thank you Dr. Mu for the nomination. This award makes me think of all the mentorship I’ve received from different faculty, staff, and peers to this point, and gives me a huge morale boost to keep pursuing my interests.”
This award was established in 2016 through an endowment fund by Dr. Arnold Vedlitz, Director Emeritus of the Institute for Science, Technology, and Public Policy and holder of the Bob Bullock Chair in Government and Public Policy. Dr. Vedlitz saw this award as a way “to reinforce the growing importance of science and technology in identifying problems and finding solutions to a range of policy issues.”
