Graduate students Heather Aiken, Lucca Mancilio, Tom Walter and Janelle Welton attended the Catalyzing Advocacy in Science and Engineering (CASE) workshop April 6-9 in Washington, D.C. Hosted by the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), this workshop introduced students to the federal policy-making process and strategies to effectively communicate research to policy makers.
On the final day, participants from UMass Amherst, Boston University and MIT tested their skills in meetings with Rep. Jim McGovern, the staffs of Sens. Ed Markey and Elizabeth Warren, and the staff of Rep. Ayanna Pressley.
“My peers and I arrived equipped with passion for helping people through science, and we left with the knowledge and tools necessary to engage effectively with policy staff on Capitol Hill and advocate for evidence-based, meaningful change,” says Aiken, a master’s student in engineering management.