Science & Policy
In a federal funding environment where the value of scientific research to society is being questioned, accompanying research papers with the occasional blog post or press interview is not enough. We must integrate science policy into our outreach, teaching, and advocacy.
In 2025, I was able to represent the Ecological Society of America in Washington, D.C. as part of the Katherine S. McCarter Graduate Student Policy Award program. This program enabled me to visit the Capitol to advocate for science funding to congressional staffers in the U.S. House and Senate.
Read more in the blog post I co-wrote with my colleagues from the Ecological Society of America Graduate Student Policy Award program.
In 2026, I was able to visit D.C. once again, this time through the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) Catalyzing Advocacy in Science and Engineering (CASE) Workshop, as a representative from the CU Boulder Graduate School. In this program, I got further training in the federal appropriations process and science communication to policymakers.
I was excited to share with Congressional offices how federal funding at CU Boulder translates into tangible, real-world benefits to local communities.
I sincerely thank ESA, AAAS, and CU for enabling these crucial trainings.
