2019 AAAS CASE Workshop

Hey guys!

Each year, we send 3 members of SPG at UCLA to the AAAS Catalyzing Advocacy in Science and Engineering (CASE) Workshop in Washington, D.C. This year, Zoe Guttman, Catherine Schweppe, and Emily Ryznar were selected to attend the workshop.

The 3-day workshop included training on science policy topics like the budget process and lectures from professionals in the legislative branch and national agencies. We got to hear from professionals in the science policy field like Toby Smith and from the AAAS CEO Rush Holt. We learned about the White House Office of Science & Technology Policy from members of the office. We learned about the federal budget process from AAAS program directors, and the intricacies of congress and congressional committees. We then heard from professionals from NASA, the NIH, and NSF.

On the third day, attendees got to visit their representatives on Capitol Hill to advocate for research and education funding. We were lucky enough to have meetings with representatives from the offices of Sen Kamala Harris, Rep Kevin McCarthy, Rep Adam Schiff, Rep Jackie Speier, Rep Nancy Pelosi, Rep Lucille Roybal-Allard, and Rep Ted Lieu.