SOT is sharing this blog on behalf of the McClintock Letters Initiative.
Federal funding for scientific research is under unprecedented threat. But how the public responds to this threat depends on the stories they hear and who they hear them from. Unfortunately, local communities rarely get to connect with the scientists whose work their tax dollars support. Direct communication is how we re-establish trust between the scientific community and the public who fund us. To increase public awareness of the value of federally funded research being done across the United States, sign up now to participate in the McClintock Letters Initiative.
This initiative, organized by 20+ grad groups across the US along with Science Homecoming and Cornell Advancing Science and Policy Club (ASAP), encourages scientists to write opinion pieces for their hometown newspapers, sharing what their research is about, why it matters, and why science is worth investing in. Our goal is to publish over 1,000 op-eds across the country around June 16, which is Nobel Prize–awarded geneticist Barbara McClintock’s birthday. To contextualize, 1,000 articles will reach an estimated eight million people who otherwise may not hear from scientists. Visit our website and FAQ for more information and to sign up now to write a McClintock Letter about your research and its importance.
This blog is being shared under the SOT President’s name as part of their official duties and should not be interpreted as their personal or professional opinions.