AAAS Science & Technology Policy Fellowships

Providing annual federal policymaking assignments to more than 100 scientists and engineers

Associations
Environment
Salesforce
Web Development

Connecting fellows and streamlining data management

The American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) Fellowships program faced challenges meeting diverse data management and workflow requirements across multiple functional teams. AAAS worked closely with Fíonta to develop an enhanced management system for its network of over 3,400 stakeholders.

Challenges

Limited engagement opportunities
Complex functionality needs
Working on older version of Drupal

Solutions

Build a comprehensive Salesforce integration
Migrate from Drupal 7 to Drupal 8
Customize Drupal 8

Results

Strengthened
management of data
Enhanced
information maintenance
Elevated
member experience and engagement

Thank you for the outstanding work you have done with our redesign. We are thrilled with the progress so far and are looking forward to what you show us next.

Melissa McCartney Editorial Fellow

Project highlights

Streamlined data management

Salesforce was implemented as a centralized repository, improving information maintenance for staff.
Enhanced member portal functionality

Drupal 8 customization enabled fellows to access self-service tools and networking features.
Seamless Drupal 7 to Drupal 8 migration

Custom modules and components successfully transferred, preserving existing appearance while leveraging new theme functionality.

Project Summary

To address the client’s needs, Fíonta conducted an in-depth discovery process to understand the requirements of each team within AAAS. Major customizations were implemented in Salesforce Enterprise CRM, establishing it as the system of record and source of truth.

The development team focused on building a comprehensive Salesforce integration with key platforms like FellowsCentral, Trellis, and the Application Portal, ensuring data synchronization and enhanced functionality.

Custom modules and components were migrated from Drupal 7 to Drupal 8, with the Drupal 7 Bootstrap theme adjusted to work with the pre-purchased Drupal 8 premium theme.

AAAS implemented Single Sign-On (SSO) using the OpenID Connect module in Drupal 8, allowing users to log in with IDP credentials. Fíonta performed regular updates, code audits, and optimization measures to improve the overall performance and security of the Drupal platform.

Outcomes

Fíonta built customized solutions on a foundation of trusted platforms. Using an in-depth discovery process to uncover the requirements of each team and major customization of the Salesforce Enterprise CRM.

The implementation of SSO with the OpenID Connect module in Drupal 8 allows users to sign on with IDP credentials.

Additionally, installation and configuration of Drupal core, module, and theme updates, including periodic code audits and optimization to discover unnecessary redundancy, bottlenecks, and security issues.