The Albert Einstein Distinguished Educator Fellowship provides a unique opportunity for accomplished K-12 educators in the fields of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) to serve in the national education arena. Fellows spend eleven months working in Federal agencies or in U.S. Congressional offices, applying their extensive knowledge and classroom experiences to national education program and/or education policy efforts. In this episode, host Michael Holtz talks with Jill Latchana, ORISE program manager for the AEF, and Lachanda Garrison, a U.S. Department of Energy AEF Fellow on Capitol Hill. In this episode, Garrison shares her experience as an educator and as a Fellow, and the importance of hearing from constituents of elected officials. The conversation is wide-ranging and joyful. To learn more about the AEF Program, visit https://science.osti.gov/wdts/einstein

The Albert Einstein Distinguished Educator Fellowship Act gives the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) the responsibility for managing the Albert Einstein Distinguished Educator Fellowship. The DOE Office of Science’s Office of Workforce Development for Teachers and Scientists (WDTS) manages this program for DOE in collaboration with the Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education (ORISE) and the partnering Federal agencies, which, at the time of this recording, included the Department of Defense (DOD), the Department of Energy (DOE), the Library of Congress (LOC), the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), the US Geological Survey (USGS), the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), and the National Science Foundation (NSF). The DOE sponsors five placements in congressional offices.