Between June and August 2026, the Institute for Science & Policy hosted the first cohort of Colorado Science and Technology Policy (STPP) Summer Scholars, convening 15 graduate and undergraduate STEM students from eight Colorado schools and universities for an eight-week nonpartisan immersion in science, technology, and public policy at the state Capitol. The professional development program helped the STPP Summer Scholars connect their technical training to real-world policy questions while building the skills needed to communicate evidence clearly to decision-makers, culminating in individual capstone policy proposal presentations. The Summer Scholars program is supported by legislative sponsors Senate Minority Leader Cleave Simpson and Representative Sean Camacho. 

The 2026 Science & Technology Policy Summer Scholars pose for a group picture on the rotunda staircase inside the Colorado State Capitol.

The Summer Scholars program is a reimagining of the Colorado Science and Engineering Policy Fellowship, originally founded in 2018 by state Senators Hansen and Rankin, when the two legislators found common ground as policymakers with engineering backgrounds. After participating in the program as an annual site visit for the students since 2019, the Institute took over as program administrator in 2025 and brought the Summer Scholars under the STPP umbrella. More than 100 students have participated in this long-standing program, and the Institute is honored to continue its legacy through the Colorado STPP.  

"Every time I get a chance to work with these students, I’m inspired by their desire to want to learn the complicated world of policy and find ways they can make a difference," said Senator Simpson. "I’m proud to provide this opportunity to our next generation of leaders. " 

Meet the 2026 Colorado Science & Technology Policy Summer Scholars.    

An Introduction to State Policymaking 

The Summer Scholars program began with a policy boot camp designed to introduce students to the legislative process, current legislative trends, and the practical skills required to work in a policy environment. The policy boot camp featured speakers from partisan and nonpartisan legislative staff offices, legislators, and a panel of former Summer Scholars to offer advice,  reflect on their past experiences, and share how the program shaped their career paths. Topics included an overview of the legislative branch and the process a bill moves through to become a law, the state budgeting process and TABOR, political communication, and more.  

Throughout the program, students explored policy areas where technical expertise is especially valuable, including water resources, air quality, energy, transportation, emerging technologies such as quantum computing, and public health. The curriculum emphasized that effective policy work depends not only on evidence, but also on listening, collaboration, and translating complex information into language that legislators, staff, agencies, and communities can use.  

Learning Beyond the Classroom 

The Scholars had the opportunity to engage with experts and practitioners across government, research, industry, and nonprofit organizations through seminars and site visits, seeing firsthand how science and technology intersect across Colorado. Seminar topics included the role of government, energy policy, environmental policy and research, tribal engagement in policymaking, transportation policy and funding, and reflections from past state legislators. The Scholars also traveled to sites across the Denver metro area to see science and policy in action, including the National Lab of the Rockies and the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR), the Quantinuum quantum computing lab, Craig Hospital, and the Northern Colorado Water Conservancy District.  

"Learning up-close how policy is made provides such valuable insight into how change can actually happen," said Summer Scholar Drew Barret, MA, Sociology graduate from CU  Denver. "This is how you get scientific knowledge out of the academic silo and into the real world." 

The Summer Scholars attended a site visit to the National Center for Atmospheric Research Mesa Lab in Boulder, Colorado.  

A four-day field trip to Durango and Alamosa provided the Scholars with an opportunity to learn from energy experts at the La Plata Electric Association in Durango, see innovations in regenerative agriculture at the Rio Grande Farm Park Alamosa, and learn about the interaction between state, federal, and tribal policies with the Southern Ute Tribe. Senator Simpson, an engineer himself, represents Alamosa and southern Colorado (Senate District 6) and has sponsored the Scholars program since 2023. He values bringing the Scholars to his hometown and district to learn about this region of Colorado and the ways science and technology are used to shape policy that directly impacts the resources, landscape, and people of southern Colorado. 

Senate Minority Leader Cleave Simpson speaks with the Summer Scholars at his ranch in Alamosa, Colorado. 

Capstone Projects at the Capitol 

The Summer Scholars program culminates in an individual capstone project where Summer Scholars propose a science policy and write a policy memo on topics of their choosing. The policy project gives Summer Scholars a glimpse into the policy development process, as they learn how to communicate science to different audiences, including policymakers and the public, while creating evidence-based solutions. 

“The purpose of the capstone project is to provide valuable hands-on policy creation experience, and many of the final projects laid the groundwork for what could become real legislation,” said Representative Camacho. “That's a remarkable achievement, especially considering the Scholars had just eight weeks to develop their projects. Policy development is rarely straightforward, and these scholars proved you don't need a public policy background to navigate it. What you need is dedication, focus, and persistence.” 

The program's legislative sponsors worked with the Scholars throughout the summer to develop and hone their policy proposals. Scholars engaged with stakeholders, conducted research and policy analysis, comparing policies across the US and internationally, while weighing trade-offs and political feasibility. Scholars took their proposals a step further and imagined a future where the policy achieves success for Colorado, envisioning the implementation, budget, and fiscal impacts on the state. Final presentations covered a breadth of policy topics, including healthcare, natural resources including water use, soil health, and waste, agriculture and food, emerging technologies and AI, tax and fiscal policies, and energy.   

The Summer Scholars presented their proposals to an audience of legislators, staff, stakeholders, and their university advisors at the state Capitol, allowing the Scholars to practice public speaking and demonstrate how student scientists, engineers, and health professionals can contribute to decision-making and the state policy process. 

Building Colorado’s Science Policy Pipeline 

The Summer Scholars program is part of a broader effort to strengthen Colorado’s capacity for evidence-based policymaking. The Colorado STPP also encompasses a full-time Fellowship for highly trained, post-doctoral level scientists and technical experts to support the state legislature, while also building scientists’ capacity to serve in policy roles. The current STPP Fellows serve in the Legislative Council Staff nonpartisan policy and research division, working directly with legislators to provide research and analysis. 

In conjunction with the Fellowship, the Summer Scholars program creates a pipeline of leaders who can bridge technical fields and public service with confidence.  

"Over the course of the summer, I not only grew my knowledge of the legislative process, but also greatly advanced my science communication skills. Interacting with people of such vastly different backgrounds helped me understand the hidden impact legislation has on different communities," reflects Summer Scholar Jess Holmes, PhD candidate at CU Boulder.  

The Summer Scholars program is supported and sponsored by a range of university partners in addition to generous contributions from the Boettcher Foundation, Holy Cross Energy, Terry Fry and Kristin Baird, and the Philip and Susan Greenberg Fund. 

The 2026 Colorado Science & Technology Policy Summer Scholars:  

Drew Barrett, MA Sociology, CU Denver 

Sabal Dangi, BS Environmental Engineering, Colorado School of Mines 

Jessica Holmes, PhD Mechanical Engineering, CU Boulder 

Ryan Kennett, BS Biosciences and Engineering, Colorado School of Mines 

Katherine Knudtsen, BS Environmental Engineering, Colorado School of Mines 

Valentina Montes Robyn, MPH, Global & Population Health, Colorado School of Public Health 

Ryan Roccanova, BS Biochemistry, Colorado School of Mines 

Zack Rome, BS Mechanical Engineering, Colorado School of Mines 

Michela Schenk, BA Environmental Science and History, University of Denver 

Gunja Shah, MS Biomedical Engineering, CU Anschutz 

Sunny Shrestha, PhD Computer Science, University of Denver 

Hawan Tadesse, BS Public Health, CU Denver 

Summer Tsosie, BS Engineering, Fort Lewis College 

Shreya Venkatesh, PhD Mechanical Engineering, CU Boulder 

Zandra Walker, BS Aviation & Aerospace Management, Metropolitan State University of Denver

Learn more about the Colorado Science & Technology Policy Program.