© ISTOCK.COM/BPLANETLong gone are the days of the lone investigator who discovered a new scientific truth, published the finding in a journal, and continued doing bench research. Nowadays, scientists have to wear any number of different hats: experimenter, data analyst, teacher, mentor, negotiator, financial planner, writer, boss, philosopher, and speaker.
Meet with your legislators. You can schedule a meeting in their Washington offices or in your home district; going with a small group of colleagues is always best. Many large scientific societies host their own advocacy days for scientists to converge on the capital and meet with their representatives in small, region-specific groups. These societies often provide resources and a specific message, or ask scientists to share their research during the meetings. If you are having difficulty scheduling a meeting, local town halls are another good place to meet your legislator face-to-face.
Write, call, tweet, Facebook. Legislative representatives have easily accessible contact information on their websites. When certain science or research funding–related items are up for a vote, many scientific societies often craft form letters ...
