ASBMB Student Chapter and Emory Science Advocacy Network (EScAN) Collaborations to Promote Diversity of Scientists in Advocacy and Policy

Abstract

The newly organized ASBMB Student Chapter at Emory University aims to provide networking and career‐development opportunities coupled with access to research and science outreach. To broaden our impact, we have established a collaboration with the graduate student led organization, Emory Science Advocacy Network (EScAN). EScAN provides a forum to discuss current issues facing the biomedical field and determine how to support robust federal funding of biomedical research. The two organizations together are preparing for the annual EScAN‐sponsored Letter Writing Campaign. We aim to achieve record‐high participation this year of both undergraduate and graduate students from diverse educational and demographic backgrounds. Increases in political awareness and advocacy such as these will enhance the potential for productive legislative action. We will also participate in local (Atlanta) and national (Washington, D.C.) Hill Day in September 2019. In preparation for these events, we have organized focused workshops, including “Communicating Science to Non‐Scientists,” to ensure an effective interface between congress people and young scientists. Aligned with the ASBMB Student Chapter mission statement, our efforts will provide networking and career‐development opportunities for undergraduate students. This collaboration is supported and facilitated by a volunteer graduate student advisor, serving as a liaison between EScAN and the ASBMB Student Chapter. We will assess the outcomes of this collaboration by tracking the number of undergraduate students that participate in the Letter Writing Campaign as an initial metric of engagement. We also are working together with a sociologist to develop pre‐ and post‐surveys to assess the level of understanding of funding for biomedical science and commitment to advocacy for the ASBMB Student Chapter undergraduates. Ultimately, we seek to build a synergistic network of undergraduate and graduate students who are knowledgeable and engaged in scientific outreach and advocacy.Support or Funding InformationR01 GM130147 01, R25 GM125598 01, R01 MH107305 04This abstract is from the Experimental Biology 2019 Meeting. There is no full text article associated with this abstract published in The FASEB Journal.