Inform & Influence S&T Policy 24 Guest Writer: Momentum is Building

Hello newsletter readers,

Exciting news! While I am off on my bucket list trip to Antarctica, I asked several organizations to talk about their activities in science and technology policy through my newsletter. I'm sure you'll find them interesting and informative!

Let me know your thoughts in the comments and I'll ready them when I get back.

Here's hoping that March is better for the S&T community than February!

Debbie

Guest Post

Author: Melissa Varga, Science Network Senior Manager, Union of Concerned Scientists

After weeks of chaos, deeply heavy news, and an apparent leadership vacuum in the scientific community, I have a glimmer of hope. Scientists are getting active. And scientific societies are starting to speak up. Spring is coming.?

But first, a little introduction:

I’ve spent most of my career at the Union of Concerned Scientists helping to grow and now manage their Science Network, our network of more than 17,000 scientists, engineers, public health experts, and other technical experts who want to use their expertise to advocate for equitable, science-informed policy. (That’s me at a climate rally in DC a few years ago!)

The Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS) has been focused since its founding in 1969 on science for the public good. We were founded by a group of MIT students and faculty who were concerned that most researching funding was being used to develop weapons, rather than address our social and environmental problems.?

We still maintain our analysis and advocacy work on reducing the threat from nuclear weapons, but we’ve also expanded to work on climate and clean energy, sustainable food systems, clean and equitable transportation systems, and ensuring that science strengthens our democratic institutions. Our staff is composed of scientists, analysts, policy experts, organizers (like me!), and communications officers all working towards concrete policy wins on these issue areas at the state and federal level.?

And yeah, we’re pretty concerned right now about what’s going on at the executive level. In fact, we launched a new campaign to focus on protecting federal science workers and federal science agencies, because we know that when science is sidelined, people get hurt.

Just a few recent examples of that:

• The layoffs at NOAA are deeply alarming as we head into another “danger season”, the period in the US when we see the most extreme weather events. Keep in mind too that cuts to HUD and FEMA workers may be imminent, meaning that we may be less prepared for natural disasters and have fewer resources for people who are impacted. (As of the writing of this newsletter, it’s unclear how the ruling to block firings of probationary workers will be enforced.)
• NIH continues to brazenly refuse to unfreeze federal grant funding, despite multiple court orders.
• The removal of environmental justice data from federal websites includes tools that EJ communities used to advocate for stronger environmental and health protections.?

Given all of that, why am I feeling hopeful?

Scientific societies are speaking out. 47 societies, representing more than 92,000 members, signed a letter calling on Congress to take immediate action to enforce their (constitutionally mandated) control over federal funds, oppose drastic cuts at funding agencies, and restore funding to diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts in the scientific community. I am proud and grateful for these society leaders in having the courage to make a stand. Many of these societies have not been active in policy or advocacy in the past, but they recognize that it is everyone’s responsibility to take action in this moment.?

“Stand Up for Science” rallies are taking place across the country on Friday, March 7. I hope you’ll join me on the National Mall in DC! I know rallies aren’t for everyone, and they get a bad rap because they “don’t accomplish anything,” but hear me out: rallies, marches, and protests are tactics, just like making calls to Congress, writing op-eds, and attending town halls. If our goal is to apply pressure on our elected officials, we need a diversity of tactics to make a difference. Rallies also are an important way we build community, by celebrating and commiserating together. We need to be reminded that we are not alone, and we are more powerful when we take action together.?

Scientists are eager for ways to push back, inside and outside institutions. I moderated a webinar with 250 scientist attendees last week on Protecting Scientists Engaging in Advocacy, and was delighted to see so many of our Science Network members not just asking questions but also actively sharing their experiences and examples of how they’re getting involved in their academic institutions and communities (including those Stand Up for Science rallies coming up this week). A list of resources and actions discussed on the webinar can be found here:?

https://bit.ly/ProtectingScientists.?

4 ways you can get involved right now:

• Call your senators. They need to hear from you about what the executive actions mean to you and your community.?
• Share your story about the benefits of federal science research—and what happens when that research is cut. We’ll use these stories in our own advocacy work to protect federal science workers, but also will reach out to you if you’re interested in being connected with reporters or sharing your story on social media.?
• Share resources with federal workers. There are organizations that are offering legal support, guidance on protections for whistleblowers, organizing federal unionized workers, and so much more.?
• Join the UCS Science Network to stay in touch with us about ways you can bring your expertise to advocate for equitable, science-informed policy. It is free, and we’ll send you action alerts, invitations to training webinars (like the one I mentioned above), and updates on science-based policy wins.?

I’d love to connect on LinkedIn—reach out any time you want to talk about science advocacy. A final note of hope to end on, from Illinois Governor Pritzker’s State of the State address:

“Tyranny requires your fear and your silence and your compliance. Democracy requires your courage. So gather your justice and humanity… and do not let the “tragic spirit of despair” overcome us when our country needs us the most.”

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Thank YOU for reading!

I am Dr. Deborah D. Stine, the founder of the Science & Technology (S&T) Policy Academy, which offers workshops for organizations, “done for you” policy analysis, and career, leadership, and new business coaching services.

I spent over 30 years in Washington DC, working for the Obama White House as executive director of the President’s Council on Science and Technology (PCAST), an S&T policy specialist at the Congressional Research Service (a think tank for Congress), and 18 years at the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, directing studies on innumerable S&T policy topics.

If you like what you see here, please consider subscribing to my free S&T Policy Job Opportunities newsletter on LinkedIn and S&T Policy Academy newsletter, where you’ll learn about free workshops, useful tools, and resources.

You can also learn more about the?services offered by the Science and Technology and Policy Academy, including consulting, drafting analysis and position statements, coaching, and workshops. To learn more about science and technology policy analysis, you might want to read my 2024 book,?From Expertise to Impact: A Practical Guide to Informing and Influencing Science and Technology Policy?(only $9.99 on Amazon).

If you want to read past editions of this newsletter to catch up on all the latest S&T policy happenings, go here.

See you soon for yet more compelling science and technology policy news and insights. Debbie