May 13th marked the end of the 2026 legislative session – exactly 120 days after it began in January, and 212 days since the inaugural cohort of the Colorado Science & Technology Policy Program (STPP) Fellows began their terms.  

The General Assembly had an active session, introducing 714 pieces of legislation and passing 501.  

The STPP Fellows were active as well, integrating into the Legislative Council Staff (LCS) Policy & Research Section, providing nonpartisan scientific and technical analysis and research at the request of committees and legislators on both sides of the aisle.  

Being an integral part of the full legislative process made an impact on the Fellows. “I am most proud of contributing analytic support across the full lifecycle of legislation,” says Sam Lattof, Health and Human Services Fellow. “I provided background research, economic and demographic analyses, and fiscal note support for bills. I then followed bills as they moved through committees and floor debates. That experience strengthened my understanding of how policy ideas are tested, revised, and implemented. I am also proud of the trust I built within Legislative Council Staff by consistently delivering clear, high-quality analyses under tight timelines,” Sam explained.  

STPP Fellows take a selfie from the House Gallery on the last day of the legislative session, May 13, 2026. (L-R: Max O’Connor, Sam Lattof, Dhivahari Vivek, Leena Vilonen.)

The Fellows developed over 21 publications on topics of interest to legislators, including issue briefs and interested persons' memos. “I'm proud of the large variety of topics I worked on and gained knowledge on,” says Leena Vilonen, Natural Resources Fellow. “From pesticides to raw milk, water issues, data centers, transportation, zoonotic disease, and currently endangered species, I feel like I worked on it all!” 

Some highlights of the Fellows' work include a memo co-authored by all four Fellows and LCS staff, Data Center Impacts on the Environment, Public Health, and Energy Costs, along with briefs and memos on Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza, Geothermal Energy Resources and Policy Incentives, Online Data Collection and Tracking Methods by Third Parties, and Navigating the GLP-1 Landscape: Evidence-Based Insights. 

The Fellows' work expands beyond just written publications. They fielded real-time requests from legislators, including answering level-setting questions on definitions and technical terms, and presenting to LCS staff about research methods and processes, and how to examine scientific papers to determine the strength and reliability of evidence. The Colorado Fellows joined collaborative networks of other state and federal science policy fellows across the country and presented findings from their joint data center memo to the AAAS AI Co-Lab. STPP Fellows also had opportunities to give guest lectures and speak on panels locally, including Colorado Climate Week, the Colorado School of Public Health, and the University of Denver.  

Now that the legislative calendar has reached the interim session, Fellows will work with LCS Staff on preparing sections of the "Blue Book" voter guide on statewide election issues and will continue to respond to legislative research requests and work with interim committees and commissions.  

Energy, Climate and Transportation Fellow, Max O’Connor, is looking forward to working on the Blue Book for the key upcoming election. “The Blue Book is an incredible resource for Colorado voters that LCS creates through a thorough interview and editing process,” says Max. “I'm excited to experience that part of Colorado's democracy first-hand.”  

The Fellows will also support the STPP Summer Scholars, a non-partisan professional development program for current Colorado STEM graduate and upper-level undergraduate students interested in state-level public policy. Fellows will share legislative trends and provide feedback on the Summer Scholars’ policy projects.  

After the end of the legislative session, LCS supervisors supported offering the Fellows an extension of their fellowship for a second year. All four accepted and will stay in their roles until September 2027. The Institute, LCS, and the Fellows are excited for this opportunity to continue to build upon the important work and relationships built in the inaugural STPP year.   

AI and Technology Fellow Dhivahari Vivek is thrilled to build on her learnings from year one. “Attending committee hearings, I not only learned so much about the community’s opinions, and legislators’ interests and stakes in various bills, but I also got a better sense of where further knowledge is needed and where I can fill in the blanks.” 

Health and Human Services Fellow, Sam Lattof agrees and stresses the importance of their role. “Providing analyses upstream allows legislators to better understand economic, demographic, and operational considerations before their bills are introduced, which will hopefully support more informed deliberation throughout the next session.”  

Learn more about the Colorado Science & Technology Program.