Adriana Bankston is a Senior Fellow in Civic Science & Public Policy with Sigma Xi, where she leads a project that examines science policy engagement at the state level and determines the skills, knowledge, and resources required by scientists to successfully influence public policy. Prior to this role, Adriana was a Principal Legislative Analyst at the University of California Office of Federal Governmental Relations, where she served as an advocate for the university with Congress, the Administration and federal agencies. Previously, Adriana was a Policy & Advocacy Fellow at the Society for Neuroscience. She is also currently CEO & Managing Publisher of the Journal of Science Policy & Governance, a Fellow with Advancing Research Impact in Society (ARIS), and a Biomedical Workforce & Policy Research Investigator at the STEM Advocacy Institute (SAi). In recognition of her contributions to the field, Adriana was named among the Top 20 in 2022 Advocacy practitioners by the Advocacy Association, and awarded the inaugural 2022 ARIS Emerging Broader Impacts Leader Award. Adriana earned her Ph.D. in Biochemistry, Cell and Developmental Biology from Emory University.

Danielle Becker-Polinski is currently a Ph.D. student in Dr. Hollie M. Putnam's Eco-Physiology and Environmental Epigenetics of Marine Invertebrates Lab at the University of Rhode Island. Danielle is broadly interested in the ecophysiology within coral reef ecosystems and how global climate change and genomic processes influence coral population dynamics for generations to come.

Her fascination and curiosity with the underwater world, especially coral reef ecosystems, developed into an innate passion for research-based science. To preserve these invaluable ecosystems, She believes we must bridge the gap between education, conservation, and research to convey the significance of coral reef ecosystems to the public.

​Danielle's passion for coral reefs is entwined with her interest in conservation and environmental justice initiatives that understand the importance of supporting STEM education and furthering policy agendas for the future of oceanic ecosystems.

Enjoy!

Dr. Lydia Jahl is a science and policy associate at the Green Science Policy Institute. There, she collaborates with other scientists, businesses, and policymakers to reduce the use of harmful chemicals in everyday products. Dr. Jahl is a chemist by training, receiving a BS in Chemistry from Harvey Mudd College and a PhD in Chemistry from Carnegie Mellon University. Her research journey began in atmospheric chemistry, studying fog water in the Los Angeles area and the Po Valley in Italy. After a brief stint working as a research chemist at a large winery, Jahl returned to atmospheric chemistry and completed a dissertation on the atmospheric processing of biomass burning emissions. While this fundamental research is important, Dr. Jahl wanted her work to more directly improve environmental health on a shorter timescale. So, she joined the Green Science Policy Institute to work on challenging issues that directly impact both human and environmental health. Her current focus is on phasing out unnecessary uses of flame retardant chemicals and PFAS.