Tip: Look at the legislative directory or the personal websites of the elected officials to see what bills they've introduced or supported
Tip: Even if someone isn't available to meet with you, they might be able to suggest other staffers or legislators who would be a good fit
Tip: Meeting with staff is sometimes more effective than meeting with legislators since they will likely do the hands-on work of pitching ideas, drafting legislation and finding supporters.
Share this with your networkTweetLocal governments need leaders with STEM training as they increasingly face challenges from new tools like artificial intelligence and try to address issues such as climate resilience and election security. However, there is often a gap between policymakers, who understand the unique needs of their communities, and STEM professionals, who are […]
Share this with your networkTweet“Policy entrepreneurs” often fly under the radar, developing policy ideas to solve problems over decades and surfacing with solutions at just the right moment. Researchers, engineers, consumer advocates, clinicians, civil servants, or community organizers—policy entrepreneurs are innovators who pull together ideas and supporters to accomplish what they could not on their […]
Michael Hendricks, an assistant professor in the Department of Politics and Government at Illinois State University, is an advocate for civic engagement who particularly emphasizes integrating STEM into the legislative process. Learn about how he approaches research, teaching, and mentorship to center civic engagement.
Amy Sharma, PhD is the executive director of Science for Georgia, an organization whose mission is to advocate for the responsible use of science in public policy, improve communication between scientists and the public, and increase public engagement with science. She chatted with ESAL about the value of factual scientific support to state legislators and interpersonal relationships between scientists and other community members.
On May 8th, ESAL and the Ecological Society of America co-hosted a virtual event centered around the urgency of protecting wetlands and their significance in maintaining climate resilience in the future. Learn about the ways the event speakers encourage public engagement.
The debate around abortion is informed by science, medicine, and public health, as well as ethics. Many people with STEM backgrounds feel compelled to get involved. One way to do this is to have critical conversations with your friends, family, and other members of your community. We hope that the information in this post can serve as a guide for anyone looking to engage in this important policy discussion.
