Through participation in the Open Graduate Education (Open Grad) program, she is able to merge these two interests to help bridge science with policy making. The Open Grad program enables doctoral students to pursue a master’s degree in a second field. In Manzano Nieves’ case, she is earning a master’s in Public Affairs.
When asked about her interest in pursuing an MPA, she shared that Open Grad “was a great opportunity to pursue a field of study that I was passionate about. I have always been interested in public administration, specifically as it pertains to government policy implementation, and how these policies can shape behavior and beliefs. Whether that be through taxation, incentives, punishment, or education, the governmental sector has the largest ability, and resources, to shape public opinion, perception, and behavior. This power can greatly impact how we interact with each other and how we view the world and the people around us.”
Manzano Nieves also acknowledged that earning her MPA “strengthened my writing and communication skills, which has helped me in my PhD, specifically, as it pertains to publication of scientific work.” In addition to these intellectual benefits, her MPA experience provided the professional opportunity to participate in an internship with the Rhode Island Center for Justice. She says, “there, I helped the law firm develop a strategy for tackling recovery housing [for those dependent on drugs]. Using a scientific approach, we developed a proposal that balances the need for drug free recovery housing with the need for housing, given the likelihood for relapse.”
Overall, through her PhD research on ELS and brain development, Manzano Nieves learned that stress early in life can alter rates of growth in a brain region specific manner, leading to changes in behavior. Taking it one step further, Manzano Nieves incorporated what she learned in her MPA courses to make research-based policy recommendations benefitting a vulnerable population. Applying her research to practice is something she sees herself doing in the future. Her career aspiration is to be a neuroscience professor who consults with policymakers in the hopes that her research will be beneficial to others.