Calls abound to increase diversity, equity, inclusion and access in federal policy and decision-making. In January 2021, the Biden administration issued Executive Order 13985 mandating that “the Federal Government should pursue a comprehensive approach to advancing equity for all, including people of color and others who have been historically underserved, marginalized, and adversely affected by persistent poverty and inequality.” In May 2021, House Science Committee Chair Eddie Bernice Johnson called upon the scientific establishment to “engage nontraditional stakeholders and diverse voices in NSF research, including civic organizations, labor, local and tribal governments, farmers, and even the public at large.”

The need to operationalize democratic governance of science and technology research and development is clear, yet few methods exist to do so. In 2010, a group of researchers, educators, and policy practitioners led by Arizona State University, the Museum of Science Boston, SciStarter, the Loka Institute, and the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars established the Expert and Citizen Assessment of Science and Technology (ECAST) network to address this gap. Over the course of a decade, ECAST has developed an innovative and reflexive participatory technology assessment (pTA) method to support informed, inclusive, and democratic science policy decision-making. The network has conducted public deliberations across the United States. ECAST’s portfolio of topics and sponsors include planetary defense (NASA), community resilience (NOAA), nuclear waste (DOE), gene drives (DARPA), driverless cars (Kettering Foundation and Charles Koch Foundation), geoengineering (Alfred P. Sloan Foundation) and human gene editing (NIH).

Join the ECAST network partners on December 15th from 3-5:30 PM ET to learn about pTA methods and applications, participate in a forum simulation and learn about the opportunities, challenges, and successes of this stakeholder and public engagement method.

**Photo ID and COVID-19 vaccination record required at check-in. Wearing of a face mask is required while not eating or drinking.**

Operationalizing Public Participation in Federal Science & Tech Policy