By Nonie Arora

Students in front of Eisenhower Executive Office Building, Credit: Bob Cook-Deegan

Students in front of Eisenhower Executive Office Building, Credit: Bob Cook-Deegan

Seventeen Duke students had a taste of science policy over spring break. We traveled to Washington D.C. to meet with influential scientists and policy makers from a variety of different institutions, from the Genetic Alliance to the Office of Science and Technology Policy of the White House.

The trip clarified for many of us what science policy is like in action, and the winding paths that guide people to this career.

The students contributed to a trip blog, on which they discuss experiences such as seeing Bo Obama, the First Dog (!), outside the White House and “sipping the kool-aid” of genome science at the National Human Genome Research Institute.

The trip was sponsored by Focus and the Institute for Genome Sciences & Policy under the direction of professor Bob Cook-Deegan.