Posts in: Policy Tips

By Heather Galindo and Heather Mannix Published July 23, 2015 Title: A Briefing Debrief: Scientist Tales From A Day On The Hill Categories: Interviews, Policy Tags: briefings, connecting, conversation, government, informing, know your audience, meetings, navigating, networks, oceans, opportunities, outreach, policymakers, practice, presentation, so what? This pos...

We’ve said it before: scientists have a lot to contribute to policy discussions.  Policymakers welcome candid, cutting-edge information, and you really are the best one to share your research because you have the passion, the knowledge, and the expertise.  Our blog has lots of tips for what to do once you’re in the room with a policymaker – from under...

Elections mark the end of the campaign ads and the beginning of a term’s policymaking cycle. Newly (re)elected policymakers (and their staff) are setting their agendas for the next year and beyond. Whether you are building new relationships, or strengthening old ones, it's an ideal time to present yourself as a resource who can help them navigate the science on t...

Washington D.C. often gets a reputation for being opaque, with lots of rules and unspoken customs for how things are done.  It’s true that D.C. has its own culture, and Capitol Hill especially can feel like its own world. My experience is that there are many dedicated staff on Capitol Hill who want to understand the best science available and how it can help the...

Science plays many roles in the policymaking process. Describing those roles is often harder than I expect.  While attending the North American Congress of Conservation Biology (NACCB) in July, I was introduced to a new—and helpful—description of those roles, during a talk by Stephen Posner. Stephen is a PhD candidate at the Gund Institute at the Universit...

By Chad English. Published Feb. 11, 2014 Categories: Policy Tags:advocacy, congress, credibility, culture, funding, government, hearing, informing, know your audience, navigating, policy, So What? You’ve just hung up the phone after a call with a Congressional staffer. After a wide-ranging conversation and some probing questions, the staffer invited you to be a ...