ESAL and fellow organizations participated in a Twitter chat led by the Science Network of the Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS). The virtual conversation addressed the importance of scientific engagement in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic.

314 Action works to elect those with STEM backgrounds and pro-science agendas to local, state, and federal office. Alums have changed not just the dialogue around STEM issues, but, once elected, have also brought expertise and rigor to solve problems ranging from raising the minimum wage to minimizing veteran homelessness.

Many of the decisions and actions that address the COVID-19 pandemic take place at the local level. ESAL spoke with Sara Lamnin, a city council member in Hayward, CA, about ways that city government tracks emerging information on COVID, and how scientists and engineers can support their communities’ responses.

Melissa Baker is a third-year medical student at Georgetown University in Washington, D.C. and a founding board member of Medical Supply Drive, a student-led organization. ESAL spoke with Melissa to see how they're mobilizing to respond to the critical shortage of masks and protective equipment in hospitals across the U.S.

As local communities rally together to face this challenge, ESAL has compiled a list of ideas for engineers and scientists who want to contribute to COVID-19 efforts. We will continue to add to it as we learn of new efforts, so please send us anything you’d like to see included.

Kathryn Kundrod and Mary Natoli are Ph.D. candidates in the bioengineering graduate program at Rice University and active members of Rice University’s Cycling and Triathlon Club. ESAL interviewed them about their advocacy for transportation safety around campus and broadly in the City of Houston.

The Scientific Citizenship Initiative (SCI), based in Boston, Massachusetts, aims to make science “more socially responsive and responsible” by expanding STEM student training in leadership, communication, and ethics, and developing fellowships for scientists to serve in their communities.

ESAL Founder & Chair, Arti Garg, spoke as a panelist in a Town Hall discussion entitled “100 Years of the 19th Amendment: A Discussion on Progress and Challenges,” at the 2020 Annual Meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science.

Jeanne Holm serves as a senior technology advisor to Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti, as well as deputy chief information officer for Los Angeles. ESAL interviewed Holm about how her scientific training informs her work in LA on infrastructure, mobility, and air quality.

ESAL had a strong presence at the 2020 Annual Meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS). Through speakers and events, our group shared ways that scientists and engineers could get involved in their communities right away, and have an impact on the biggest challenges we face.

Our latest playbook guide aims to help you apply for local science and technology policy fellowships for policies. We share resources to help identify, prepare to apply, and interview for the right fellowship for you.

Jeffrey Warren is the acting executive director at the North Carolina Policy Collaboratory, headquartered at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC). With a background in geological sciences, Warren has served as the science and energy advisor to the North Carolina Senate. He has directed research at the North Carolina Policy Collaboratory since 2017.