Science, Technology & Environmental Politics (Section 15)
The purpose of this section is to stimulate fundamental inquiry on science, technology, and environmental issues as political phenomena.
Founded: 1986
Website: https://connect.apsanet.org/s15/
Newsletter: STEP Ahead
Social Media: @STEP_APSA
Section Membership Dues
| Student | Regular |
|---|---|
| $0 | $20 |
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Section Officers
Section Officers
Section Awards
Section awards are presented during the APSA annual meeting awards ceremony. To learn more about any award listed, contact the award committee chair for the award.
All section 15. Science, Technology & Environmental awards to-date »
Evan Ringquist Best Paper Award
The Best Paper Award is given for the best paper published in a relevant journal in the last two years. Relevant journals include political science, public administration, public policy, interdisciplinary environmental science, and science and technology studies journals. Nomination process: Send nominations to the committee. Deadline for nominations: March 1, 2026
Award Committee
| Name | Affiliation | |
|---|---|---|
| Annemieke van den Dool (Chair) | Duke Kushan University | annemieke.van.den.dool@dukekunshan.edu.cn |
| Mark T. Buntaine | University of California, Santa Barbara | buntaine@bren.ucsb.edu |
| Kristin Olofsson | Colorado State University | Kristin.Olofsson@colostate.edu |
Don K. Price Award
The Don K. Price Award recognizes the best book on science, technology, and politics published in the last year. Nominated authors should send copies of their books to each committee member for consideration. Deadline for nominations: March 1, 2026
Award Committee
| Name | Affiliation | |
|---|---|---|
| Matt Nowlin (Chair) | University of Texas at Arlington | matthew.nowlin@uta.edu |
| Tom Birkland | North Carolina State University | tabirkla@ncsu.edu |
| Nathan Jeschke | University of Tennessee | njeschke@utk.edu |
Lynton Keith Caldwell Award
The Lynton Keith Caldwell Prize is given for the best book on environmental politics and policy published in the past three years. Nominated authors should send copies of their books to each committee member for consideration. Deadline for nominations: March 1, 2026
Award Committee
| Name | Affiliation | |
|---|---|---|
| Geoboo Song (Chair) | University of Arkansas | gbsong@uark.edu |
| Jonathan Lewallen | University of Tampa | jlewallen@ut.edu |
| Raul Pacheco-Vega | Facultad Latinoamericana de Ciencias Sociales (FLACSO) Sede México | raul.pacheco-vega@flacso.edu.mx |
Virginia M. Walsh Dissertation Award
The Virginia Walsh Dissertation Award, named in honor of a young scholar who tragically passed away, is given for the best dissertations in the field of science, technology and environmental politics. Nominations should include full dissertation. Deadline for nominations: March 1, 2026
Award Committee
| Name | Affiliation | |
|---|---|---|
| Tomás Olivier (Chair) | Syracuse University | tolivier@syr.edu |
| Guoer Liu | University of California, San Diego | guoerliu@ucsd.edu |
| Jesse Barnes | University of Texas at San Antonio | jesse.barnes2@utsa.edu |
Paul A. Sabatier Best Conference Paper Award
The Paul A. Sabatier Best Conference Paper Award is given for the best paper on science, technology, and environmental politics presented at the previous year’s APSA Annual Meeting. Nomination process: Send nominations to the committee. Deadline for nominations: March 1, 2026
Award Committee
| Name | Affiliation | |
|---|---|---|
| Gwen Arnold (Chair) | University of California, Davis | gbarnold@ucdavis.edu |
| Christopher W. Blair | Princeton University | chris.blair@princeton.edu |
| Andy Pattison | Colgate University | apattison@colgate.edu |
Elinor Ostrom Career Achievement Award
The Elinor Ostrom Career Achievement Award is given to an individual in recognition of their lifetime contribution to the study of science, technology, and environmental politics. Nominees must be at least 15 years from completing their PhD degree to be eligible. Nomination process: Send nominations to the committee. Deadline for nominations: March 1, 2026
Award Committee
| Name | Affiliation | |
|---|---|---|
| Barry Rabe (Chair) | University of Michigan | brabe@umich.edu |
| Peter J. May | University of Washington | pmay@uw.edu |
| Michael Kraft | University of Wisconsin, Green Bay | kraftm@uwgb.edu |
Emerging Young Scholar Award
The Emerging Scholar Award is given in recognition of a researcher, within ten years of their PhD degree, who is making notable contributions to the field of science, technology, and environmental politics. Nomination process: Send nominations to committee. Deadline for nominations: March 1, 2026
Award Committee
| Name | Affiliation | |
|---|---|---|
| Tara Grillos (Chair) | Purdue University | tgrillos@purdue.edu |
| Chris Koski | Reed College | ckoski@reed.edu |
| Rob DeLeo | Bentley University | rdeleo@bentley.edu |
The STEP APSA Inclusion Travel Award
The STEP APSA Inclusion Travel Award will be granted to graduate students who are accepted to present a paper at the annual APSA meeting. They must be members of STEP (which is free for graduate students) and be presenting on a STEP or STEP co-sponsored panel. A maximum of 10 awards in the amount of $500 will be granted each year. Nomination process: Applications should be sent to the committee. Deadline for nominations: April 15, 2026
Award Committee
| Name | Affiliation | |
|---|---|---|
| Kristin Taylor (Chair) | Wayne State University | kristin.taylor@wayne.edu |
| Elizabeth Koebele | University of Nevada, Reno | ekoebele@unr.edu |