In ESAL's latest America at 250 feature, we set out to learn more about the history of House districts and the potential uses of AI for redistricting. ESAL spoke with Kyle Kondik, a managing editor at the University of Virginia Center for Politics to learn about this timely topic.

Conservation X Labs is a nonprofit organization working to prevent the sixth mass extinction--the potential for ecological destruction driven by human activity. ESAL had the chance to talk to Liam Torpy, who led Conservation X Labs’ Fire Grand Challenge from August 2024 until its conclusion in January 2026. The Fire Grand Challenge was an open […]

On Friday, April 24, 2026, ESAL's Cherry Cheuk Lam Cheung, PhD, hosted the Indiana Statehouse Engagement Day, a civic engagement initiative designed to help STEM trainees and early-career scientists connect their research, lived experiences, and scientific training with local and state policymaking.

Read more about an interactive discussion co-hosted by the Joyce Foundation, University of Virginia Weldon Cooper Center for Public Service, and the American Association for the Advancement of Sciences Center for Scientific Evidence in Public Issues (AAS EPI Center) on March 11th outlining investments needed to ensure sustainable clean energy use in relation in the growth of data centers in the U.S.

Challenges to scientific and democratic freedoms are overlapping. Scientific advances have been underpinned by increasing democratic freedoms that are no longer guaranteed. Democracy needs all of us to show up. ESAL shares some ways you can join in this work.

ESAL spoke with Alison Ormsby, PhD, about how her background in environmental science and commitment to meaningful local engagement contributes to her development of a global citizen science projects.

Learn more about the work Kristen Soares does as State Climate Policy Network manager of Climate XChange where she leads a 15,000+ member network of advocates, policymakers, and researchers to advance proven climate policy in all 50 states.

This year, ESAL is exploring the past, present, and future of science in civic life through our American 250 series. We start with a reflection written by our executive director on citizen science and community science and the power of everyday science to shape our lives and protect our communities.

This April, we’re launching our first on-demand course: The Local Civic Engagement Toolkit for People in STEM. Hear from two of ESAL's team members who have been central to making this course possible.

ESAL spoke with Bobby Carswell, production, research and development senior director at Material Return, a worker-owned circular textile mill incubated by the Industrial Commons.

On January 9, 2026, ESAL hosted a panel discussion exploring how programs like Draft One and Truleo work, whether they help police do their jobs or whether they might introduce new challenges into the justice system.

Learn about the public health efforts board president of the Iowa Public Health Association and clinical associate professor Anjali Deshpande has led in regard to immunizations and health equity.