THE VIRGINIA ACADEMY OF SCIENCE, ENGINEERING & MEDICINE WAS ESTABLISHED TO:

INFORM

Provide an independent resource of expertise in science, engineering, and medicine to Virginia.

Envision future trends and provide leadership in catalyzing emerging opportunities.

ADVOCATE

Promote investments in job growth, research, and solutions to challenges in science, engineering, and technology.

Support emerging leaders in science, engineering, and medicine toward their election in the national academies.

SERVE

Foster new collaborations between businesses and Virginia universities and colleges.

Grow Virginia competitiveness for new business investments, federal funding, and job growth.

The Commonwealth of Virginia Engineering and Science (COVES) Fellowship is a 12-week fellowship program of the Virginia Academy of Science, Engineering and Medicine (VASEM). Graduate student and postdoctoral fellows will serve as science advisors in a variety of possible placements, including legislative offices, executive agencies, or prominent companies and nonprofits in the state of Virginia. Fellows will gain experience by serving their host office and performing relevant tasks such as researching, drafting, and revising relevant policies. Fellows will also be paired with a VASEM member who will serve as an experienced science policy mentor throughout the fellowship.

Meet the 2023 COVES Fellows

Learn more about the COVES Fellow Program
VASEM Selects the 2023 Cohort of COVES Policy Fellows

Richmond, VA - April 24, 2023 - The Virginia Academy of Science, Engineering and Medicine (VASEM) is excited to announce the third cohort of Commonwealth of Virginia Engineering and Science (COVES) Policy Fellows. The fellowship will begin on May 22, 2023 and conclude on August 11, 2023.

The COVES Policy Fellowship aims at strengthening the ties between the scientific community and the Virginia state
government by placing fellows in various host offices throughout Virginia. Host offices include legislative offices,
executive agencies, and prominent companies and nonprofits. Fellows will gain hands-on public service and policymaking experience by serving as science advisors for their host office and performing relevant tasks such as researching, drafting, and revising relevant policies.

VASEM is pleased to welcome 13 fellows to the 2023 cohort. The fellows were selected from a competitive applicant pool of graduate students in STEM-H fields at participating Universities in Virginia. The fellows will begin the program with a bootcamp to learn about Virginia government, science policy, and science communication. Over the 12-week program, the fellows will work on a variety of science policy issues in Virginia with their host offices. Their work will be showcased at a convocation event hosted by VASEM at the conclusion of the program.

Congratulations to the 2023 COVES Policy Fellows:

● Mohammed Alrezq - PhD Industrial and Systems Engineering, Virginia Tech
● Shelita Augustus - PhD Materials Science and Engineering, Norfolk State University
● Juli Dutta - MS Cybersecurity, Norfolk State University
● Zhenyi Huang - PhD Statistics, George Mason University
● Kaushal Kafle - PhD Computer Science, William & Mary
● Jasmine Lewis - PhD Biological Psychology, Virginia Tech
● Sarah Morton - PhD Health Psychology, Virginia Commonwealth University
● Geovani Muñoz - PhD Counseling Psychology, Virginia Commonwealth University
● Nishat Ara Nipa - PhD Electrical Engineering, Old Dominion University
● Teri Ramey - MS Environmental Science, Christopher Newport University
● Dreon Wheatley-Owens - MS Computer Science, Virginia State University
● John Stiles - MS Climate Science, George Mason University
● Thanh Nhan Duc Tran - PhD Civil Engineering, University of Virginia

This fellowship is made possible through the generous support of participating universities, MITRE, Huntington Ingalls Industries, and Virginia Innovation Partnership Corporation.