Victoria Schneider is a Ph.D. candidate at Rockefeller University, working under the mentorship of both Dr. Kirk Deitsch and Dr. Howard Hang to study the effects of metabolism on antigenic gene expression in malaria parasite, Plasmodium falciparum. She is an alumnus of the AAAS’ Science Diplomacy and Leadership Workshop in 2018. She serves as a co-chair of Science & Education Policy Association (SEPA), a student-run organization in New York City founded at the Tri-Institute—Weill Cornell Medicine, The Rockefeller University, and Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center—aiming to facilitate the interaction between scientists and the world of science policy.
The disconnect between the public’s trust of scientists and its disregard for scientific advice is a paradox which must be addressed in order to better prepare for future crises.