Thread by @iamscicomm

Hello, #SciComm friends! Today I'm tweeting on how to talk to lawmakers about science! This info mostly comes from working in Congress and being a @sfntweets Early Career Policy Fellow. - @fancycomma

Remember Schoolhouse Rock? This song is my jam! #SciPol

The good news about science advocacy is that it's pretty easy to engage your local Members of Congress on the important issues -- it's their job to listen! Science funding, especially biomedical science, enjoys bipartisan support in Congress.

The difficult part is knowing how to do #SciencePolicy or #SciPol effectively. That's what I'm here to help with today!

There are several ways to engage with policymakers. Here are some common ways as a scientist or #SciComm practitioner.

1. Contact your Member of Congress (MoC) on an issue -- typically by calling or emailing, or arranging for an office visit to their local or DC office. #SciPol

2. The second way is to work in Congress yourself. This one is much more difficult to do, but if you're a policy wonk like @fancycomma, it can be an incredible experience.

Let's start with #1 -- how to contact your MoC and engage with them on the issues. #SciPol

Contacting your MoC on an issue is pretty common in general. It's their job to listen to your concerns and it helps them come up with the most effective policies that serve you and your local community. You can call or email or arrange for an office visit. #SciPol

Let's talk about emailing your Congressperson first, since that's the easiest. Most MoC have the following format to their websites: [name].[house or senate].gov. For example, @RepSpeier's website is speier.house.gov. @SenWarren's is warren.senate.gov. #SciPol

Your representatives' contact info can be found on their websites. There are also a variety of apps and websites you can use that will automatically send emails to your MoC, but I recommend calling your representative directly. So here's how to do that: #SciPol

HOW TO EFFECTIVELY CALL YOUR MEMBER OF CONGRESS:

1. Find their contact info on their website.
2. Be polite (even if your political views differ w/theirs).
3. Be direct (prepare a #SciComm elevator pitch).
4. Be succinct.
5. Call your actual reps, not just random MoC.

#SciPol

I recommend calling your MoC's DC office. Keep in mind that the person answering the phone is a lowly, unpaid intern who is yelled at by constituents all day. Don't be rude to them, even if you're a liberal Dem calling a Tea Party office. They're there to listen to you & help.

Next, be direct. Don't ramble for 30 minutes about how science funding is being ripped away from the United States. This is not an effective strategy. Instead, do your homework. Come up with a short (30sec) pitch for the Congressperson's office. This will take some #SciComm.

When you call your MoC's office, the lowly intern you talk to will take down your name and contact info. Your info is input into software that is used to keep track of what issues are most important to constituents to inform policy. So, remember to give them your contact info.

Finally, remember to only call offices of MoC where you live. Many offices only formally log the calls, emails, and mail they get from their actual constituents. In other words, it's a waste of time to call every Congressperson. Keep your efforts more targeted.

Whew! Now that we've talked about the most effective way to call your MoC, let's talk about another way to affect policy -- by actually working in Congress! I can attest that it's really fun and an awesome experience! #SciPol

HOW TO WORK ON CAPITOL HILL!

1. Engage in advocacy with a group related to your field. I visited Capitol Hill with @sfntweets 3 times in grad school to talk to lawmakers about science.
2. Intern in Congress
3. Become a science legislative assistant in a program like @AAAS_STPF

The first way to work on Capitol Hill is by visiting MoC offices as part of an established legislative advocacy program. Your scientific subfield (for me, it was @sfntweets) likely has a professional org that has a DC/Cap Hill office. Your college might, also. (Mine: @MITinDC)

The second way to work on Capitol Hill is to actually work there. Sadly, unless you have a Ph.D., you'll have to work your way up the ranks until you can have a #SciComm role as a Legislative aide of some sort (there are a few kinds). So, you'll have to apply for an internship.

I (@fancycomma) have previously blogged about how to get an internship on Capitol Hill. The process is simple, and can be done entirely remotely, but does require a lot of diligence and research. Here's my blog post on how to intern in Capitol Hill: fancycomma.com/2020/04/19/how…

I should note here that I worked in Congress in 2017, when COVID-19 did not exist, and we could all work in our Congressional offices (the House buildings are usually SUPER packed and busy!). So I'm not sure how things have changed. What is different right now? @timeonthehill

Anyway, even as a lowly intern, you can be exposed to science and do #SciComm and #SciPol. As a legislative intern, I (@fancycomma) attended briefings on science and health and wrote summaries of them (they had to be turned in an hour after the briefing so expect to work fast!).

Got any questions for me (@fancycomma) on being an intern in Congress or doing a Capitol Hill Day visit? Ask away!

Finally, you can work in Capitol Hill as an advisor to a MoC. This typically requires an advanced degree and specialized knowledge in the field (in this case, science). You can apply to @AAAS_STPF & similar programs to be placed in a MoC office -- or work your way up the ranks.

Working one's way up the ranks is the most common way to get a job in Congress - getting a fellowship is very rare. Interns are at the bottom of the food chain, & Chiefs of Staff are at the top. In between are legislative staff, which deal w/science issues.

Wow! That's a lot of info for one tweet thread! If you have any questions, feel free to write back to me here or @fancycomma! One more piece of advice for you - to be most effective, your advocacy/work should be plugged in to what's happening in Congress & how the place works...

Be a policy unicorn! Watch @cspan, read congress.gov, & figure out how to track bills. Sign up for your MoCs' newsletters and call them often on the issues. The more you know about how Capitol Hill works, the better your efforts will go. Good luck! - @fancycomma