Learn how science has shaped American democracy over 250 years, from the Constitution and policy changes to science-supported community action and environmental justice.
Several local agencies carry out policies set by city legislatures to ensure community safety. The most notable among these are municipal policy departments and county sheriffs. Local governments can also increase community safety by supporting neighborhood design features that reduce the possibility of injury and foster crime prevention, as well as monitoring private interests to ensure they don’t overstep into public domain. Local and state justice systems work closely with other community safety efforts to hold community members accountable to laws and safety standards. Increasingly, agencies involved in safety and justice are leveraging advanced technologies ranging from drones to AI-enabled sentencing platforms to accomplish their missions. Given the novelty of these technologies and their potentially far-reaching impact, robust civic engagement by community members with relevant technical expertise is vital to ensuring their proper use.
Learn how science has shaped American democracy over 250 years, from the Constitution and policy changes to science-supported community action and environmental justice.
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.
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.
Join ESAL for a discussion about how models are trained, errors, word choices, hallucinations and bias and how defense lawyers might try to question AI-generated reports by inquiring into how the AI agent was created.
As communities across the country grapple with a variety of environmental policy issues, from climate resilience to mine reclamation to energy transition, the need for local solutions grounded in environmental justice is a growing imperative. Geoscientists and other STEM professionals are accordingly well-suited to leverage their scientific expertise to advance such efforts, yet are seldom […]
When engineers partner with community groups, they can use their expertise to support local advocacy efforts, leading to more effective and equitable policy change. However, engineers are rarely trained in how to meaningfully engage with other community stakeholders. This workshop will feature a variety of ways that engineers can use their expertise in service of […]
Cynthia Prieto-Diaz, a biomedical engineer by training, actively contributes to scientific discourse by volunteering, engaging with city governments, and advocating for STEMM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics, and Medicine) involvement and consideration in local governance.Prieto-Diaz currently holds a position on the leadership team for 500 Women Scientists and serves as a member of the Board of Directors for the Cal Poly Pomona-Latin Alumni Network.
Christopher Kan is a biologist by training and a biotech professional working at the intersection of biology, people, and business. Kan recently gained local attention for his leadership in a two-year campaign to create a safe parking program in the church lot. Learn about how Kan navigated the local approval process to make four spots available for unhoused people to stay in their cars overnight and how his science communication skills helped bring the project to fruition.
Senior Budget Analyst of Fort Collins, CO, Cody Forst chats with us about a typical municipal budget timeline and how crucial involvement from community members through online feedback and participatory budgeting aid in the process.
