by Dr. Isabel Warner
At the end of July, members of the MOST team attended the National Conference of State Legislatures’ Legislative Summit in Chicago, Illinois to meet with state science policy professionals, connect with state leaders, and hear from experts on topics ranging from gambling to energy policy.
"Connecting with peers at NCSL lets us step back from day-to-day work and focus on building state science policy programs that last. Ultimately, sustaining these programs is how we, as scientists, contribute to better, evidence-informed outcomes for our communities that avoid wasting resources." said Executive Director Dr. Allison Davis. “It’s always an exciting conference, there’s so many times I wish I could be in two places at once,” Fellows Program Manager Dr. Isabel Warner added.
Dr. Warner spent her time learning about prediction markets, sports betting addiction, and the future of college athletics. Although some legislation has been introduced at the federal level, much of the regulation and impacts of college athletics, prediction markets, and sports betting will be the responsibility of states. “Missouri legalized sports betting with Amendment 2 in 2024, and we’re starting to see the first impacts of that on the budget and on gambling rates,” Dr. Warner explained. Both the Substance Abuse Prevention and Treatment Task Force and the Governor’s Task Force on Modernizing Education Funding have grappled with these outcomes and what they mean for the state.
"it’s always great to connect and reconnect with science policy fellows who are doing similar work in other states"
Dr. Vikram Lakhanpal
MOST’s Agriculture & Energy Fellow, Dr. Vikram Lakhanpal attended sessions on energy resources, including one on how distributed energy resources could be used to provide power to users who have less access to the electric grid or are more prone to power outages. This year, Dr. Lakhanpal has written extensively about energy in Missouri, particularly as concerns over data centers are rising.
The team made time for fun, too, visiting the famous Field Museum (pictured left) and poking around Millennium Park as the city geared up to host Lollapalooza.
However, everyone's favorite activity was taking time to socialize and network with the other attendees. Dr. Warner connected with state and national policy professionals working on substance use disorders (SUDs) in connection with her ongoing work for the Substance Abuse Prevention and Treatment Task Force. “It’s nice to know we’re all facing this together,” she said. “In particular, the whack-a-mole scenario where legislatures ban one drug, but then a closely related one comes onto the scene. I don’t think anyone has figured out a good solution yet.” Dr. Lakhanpal especially enjoyed the reception for state S&T policy programs: “I sometimes feel like my work is extremely niche and rare, so it’s always great to connect and reconnect with science policy fellows who are doing similar work in other states.” Legislators and staff also expressed their appreciation for state S&T policy fellowships at the conference.
Much of the conference was focused on navigating conflict in politics and finding ways to turn conflict into productive dialogue through active listening and creating a shared understanding before moving forward. “One of my takeaways is that people who feel heard are more likely to listen,” said Dr. Lakhanpal. “We deal in facts and data in our work, but we can share that data more effectively when we understand where the person we’re talking to is coming from on an issue."it’s always great to connect and reconnect with science policy fellows who are doing similar work in other states
Ultimately the conference was an excellent opportunity to listen; to experts in a wide range of fields, to policymakers from all ideologies and backgrounds, and to fellow state science policy programs in service of evidence informed policy. The team built expertise, connections, and community that will strengthen MOST’s ability to provide timely, meaningful information to help legislators in the upcoming legislative session.