Posts in: Policy Tips

By Chad English Published November 7, 2013 Title: Know Thy Role (And Thy Bias) Categories: Policy, About COMPASS Tags: Chad English, advocacy, congress, perspective, training Last week, Erica shared a quotation by Stephen Schneider that lays out three simple guidelines for scientists who want to share their knowledge and perspectives with the wider world: Know ...

“Know thy audience. Know thyself. Know thy stuff.” We offer this quote by the late Dr. Steve Schneider in COMPASS’ communication trainings as a guiding principle for scientists preparing to share their science with the wider world. Schneider, one of the first climate scientists to work as an active adviser to policymakers in the White House and federal age...

"Should this dollar go to the NSF or to the FBI? It can’t go to both. You have to respect the people who make that decision.” David Goldston of the Natural Resources Defense Council made this comment in front of a full room at the AAAS annual meeting last month. This is a very real choice, and it’s being set up right now through the federal budget process....

Most of us have had our fill of the “fiscal cliff,” are glad that we’re (technically) past it, but dread the next round of this fiercely political debate. In the midst of this—in two weeks time—the President is supposed to present his proposed budget to Congress and the next federal budget cycle will start. That’s been delayed, but not likely by mor...

When Chad and I prep scientists to participate in policy briefings, we often share our own experiences of entering the policy arena for the first time as Knauss Marine Policy Fellows.  Chad talks about finishing his dissertation on a Friday in 2005 and showing up the following Monday in the Senate Commerce Committee, bright-eyed, bushy tailed, and expecting to ...

Last month hundreds of Canadian scientists took to the streets to protest, among other things, cuts to federal funding for environmental research and the forced closure of several research stations. Their chant: “No science. No evidence. No truth. No democracy.”  Faced with the imminent loss of jobs and research funding across several key environmental program...