Science Politics communicates science, tech and policy to a broad audience

At a time of rapid science and technology breakthroughs, intensifying geopolitical tensions and the viral spread of misinformation and disinformation about everything from vaccines to AI, the need for clear, accessible communication about science and the intricate politics shaping science policy has never been greater. Science Politics, a new publication launched by SFS’s Science, Technology and International Affairs (STIA) program, aims to meet that need by bridging the gap between dense academic research and fast-paced journalism.

Designed as a hybrid “journazine,” Science Politics blends academic rigor with journalistic storytelling to reach scholars, policymakers and the general public alike. The publication brings together voices from across disciplines to examine how science and technology both shape—and are shaped by—international politics.

The founders reflect that interdisciplinary mission. They include Emily Mendenhall, SFS professor and STIA director; Mariam Kvaratskhelia (MSFS’24); Diana Rayes, program director of the Faith and Global Health Initiative at Georgetown’s Global Health Institute and STIA adjunct professor; and Kelly J. Kelly, a longtime journalist and fellowship leader for the OpEd Project. Together, they are building a publication that seeks not only to inform, but also to spark dialogue across communities that too often operate in silos.

Why Science Politics—and why now

For Mendenhall, who serves as the publication’s editor-in-chief, the idea for Science Politics emerged from a growing frustration with how science is communicated and who gets left out of the conversation.

“With uncertain political whims and cuts to science, I was motivated to create a space where conversations we are having at SFS could move into dialogue with the public, scientists, journalists and policymakers,” she says.

That disconnect, she argues, is reinforced by the structure of academic publishing itself in which traditional science publishing often does not get picked up by mainstream journalism. “There are incredible people in the natural and social sciences who are largely silenced because of the way ideas are published and siloed,” she says.

According to Kvaratskhelia, managing editor and website manager, Georgetown—and STIA in particular—was a natural home for addressing that gap.

“From deep-sea mining to outer space militarization, the STIA community shares a special, inherently interdisciplinary way of thinking about the world,” Kvaratskhelia says, “one that centers science and technology as drivers of political outcomes rather than afterthoughts.”

A ‘journazine’ built across disciplines

Over the course of six months, the team collaborated to design Science Politics as an open-access publication built for a blended audience. That cross-disciplinary approach is reflected not only in the journal’s content, but also in the diverse backgrounds of the people producing it.

“As an anthropologist, policy analyst, journalist and social and behavioral scientist, we have so much fun working together, thinking through ideas and innovating new ways of doing things,” Mendenhall says.

That spirit of experimentation is embedded in the publication’s structure. The “journazine” format allows contributors to retain scholarly depth while embracing narrative storytelling, making complex ideas more accessible without sacrificing nuance.

For Kelly, a former news reporter and Science Politics’ editorial lead, the project has been an opportunity to bring academic expertise more directly into public debate.

“Having researchers’ first-hand and first-person words as part of the public conversation offers immense value to policymakers and citizens who want a deeper or more nuanced perspective,” Kelly says.

Science Politics features contributions from social and natural scientists, journalists, policymakers and emerging voices across its core issue areas—energy, food, space, technology, health and the environment. The site also includes a dedicated section for opinion pieces that cut across one or more of these themes.

“Our biggest strength as a journal lies in the fact that we serve as an interlocutor between scientists who struggle to write accessibly for policy audiences and policymakers who struggle to navigate fast-paced technological change and uncertainty.”

Mariam Kvaratskhelia (MSFS’24)

From publication to pedagogy

As the journal’s tagline—“Flooding the zone with great ideas”—suggests, the team sees Science Politics as both a publishing platform and a learning space.

Beyond producing content, the editors emphasize mentorship, collaboration and engagement as central goals. Even after finishing her time on the Hilltop, Kvaratskhelia says she continues to learn through the editorial process.

“I feel lucky to be learning from Emily and Kelly’s mentorship—their decades of experience in teaching, writing and publishing shape the editorial spirit of the journal, and Diana’s creativity and genuine love for this work are a constant source of inspiration,” she says.

Rayes, who leads the publication’s newsletter and dialogue efforts, hopes that curiosity and interdisciplinarity will extend into classrooms as well.

“I am hoping that professors both within the SFS and around the Beltway are assigning pieces from Science Politics to complement their lectures and in-class discussions, encouraging students to think about the solutions to complex problems rather than simply identifying challenges,” Rayes says.

For Mendenhall, that openness to experimentation is essential—particularly in a rapidly changing political and scientific landscape:

“We don’t get bogged down in details about how things have been done in the past—we try to innovate and create systems that work for us. We live in unprecedented times so it’s an important moment to try new ways of publishing and amplifying ideas.”