TLDR: Check out our latest blog posts & follow our Medium blog, and join Stance on Science! Need a job or fellowship? Look at our “External Opportunities” section.

Upcoming SNAP Event: “Change Minds and Stop the Spread of Misinformation” with Dr. Michael Czajkowski from Science for Georgia on Tuesday, March 24th at 7pm EST on Zoom! Register here: https://forms.gle/4vvD3emT5dgiVMtb9

SCIENCE TALK ‘26

Several members of SNAP will be attending SCIENCE TALK ‘26 in Portland, Oregon next week! In addition to several poster presentations, SNAPpers Alex Lando, David Ramotowski, Sneha Rao, Emma Scales, and Emily Selland will give a panel discussion on mobilizing early-career researchers for nationwide initiatives! Check out more information at the SCIENCE TALK ‘26 program tab.

Will you be there, too? Let us know - we’d love to connect in person and hope to see you at the SNAP panel discussion on Thursday, March 26th at 2:00 pm PST!

SCIENCE TALK '26

SNAP Blog - Science Policy in a SNAP

We started a blog! You can access Science Policy in a SNAP on our website or give us a follow on Medium, where you’ll hear from a variety of SNAP member voices on diverse science and science-policy topics.

Earlier this month, we published a thoughtful & well-researched piece from SNAP member Mikayla Smith-Craven diving into an aspect of the high cost of healthcare in the U.S. titled “The Hidden Figure in the Drug Price Epidemic: Pharmacy Benefit Managers”, which you can read here.

This week is a piece from SNAPpers Brendan Davis and Becca Blyn, recapping the wild saga of this past year’s federal appropriations process regarding science funding, culminating in their take on who came out on top. Read their piece, “The Appropriations Rollercoaster: Which Sciences Won and Lost” here!

Coming out March 24, we have a piece by SNAPper Emma Scales that is sure to generate some excitement and reflection on the role of science in fascist governments through a critical science policy lens, and a piece from SNAP members Disha Patel & Miles Arnett for National Science Appreciation Day. To receive alerts when they’re published so you can read these blog posts hot off the press, be sure to follow us on Medium!

Have an idea for a post? Contact us and let us know.

Stance on Science

We want to know where candidates across the country stand on science policy issues that affect our communities. Stance on Science participants are asking science policy-related questions of candidates running in local, state, and national races during the 2026 elections. SNAP will then share their responses on our website so voters can better understand where candidates stand before they cast their ballots, and to increase discussion amongst voters about sci pol issues.

We need more volunteers! If you’re interested in helping in your state as a state lead or a volunteer, fill out this sign-up form. Please forward this email to others you know in these states who might be interested! Reach out to snapscipolorg@gmail.com with any questions. Don’t see your state in the list below? That means you get to join an existing team! We want people from as many districts in as many states as possible, so please sign up! The following states still need at least one volunteer:

  • Arkansas
  • Idaho
  • Montana
  • North Dakota
  • Rhode Island
  • South Dakota

SciPol Course

SNAP is developing a modular science policy curriculum covering topics such as What is Science Policy?, How Government Works, Writing for Policymakers, Science Communication & Public Speaking, and Science Diplomacy. Complete curriculum coming next month!

SciPol Hackathon

Be on the lookout, SNAP’s SciPol Hackathon is coming this summer to a university near you! This project-focused initiative will bring together early-career researchers to work in interdisciplinary teams over three days to create a science-policy technical product, a multimedia piece, or a written output.

Following a recent planning meeting, we have defined key elements of the event, including team structure and coordination. We are also developing a code of conduct and guidance for team leads to support inclusive participation, clear expectations, and strong team dynamics, and are discussing ways to keep teams engaged beyond the event. Each team will present its work, with feedback centered on impact, creativity, and novelty.

Sign up and submit project ideas here!

AAAS 2026

SNAP had a huge presence at the AAAS Annual Meeting this month in Phoenix, AZ! Over 50 SNAPpers were able to attend.

We received around 120 newsletter sign-ups and at least 26 SNAP member sign-ups from early-career researchers (with more expected soon). Also, two SNAP members (Shreya Venkatesh and Bryce Wedig) won first place in their respective poster categories!

Finally, in case you missed our plenary panel, you can watch a recording here.

AAAS 2026

External Opportunities

✨SNAPper Highlights and Achievements ✨

Check out these recent works by SNAP members and works mentioning SNAP members or initiatives!

  • SNAPpers and co-originators of the McClintock Letters initiative Emma Scales and Izzi Di Tomassi received the Meeting the Moment for Public Health Award on behalf of SNAP, the Cornell Advancing Science and Policy Club, and all those who participated in the McClintock Letters at the Research!America Advocacy Awards in D.C. on March 10th! Di Tomassi also participated in a panel addressing how public engagement and dialogue builds trust.

McClintock Letters award

  • Kass Fernandez is still recruiting STEM undergraduate students for their dissertation study on mentorship. Sign-up here or help increase their reach by sharing on BlueSky and LinkedIn. Participants will be entered in a drawing for a $25 gift card!
  • JP Flores published an op-ed in The Hechinger Report about expanding undergraduate research opportunities to HBCUs, regional public universities, and community colleges.
  • JP Flores published an op-ed in Science Politics about how we’re training scientists for a world that no longer exists.
  • Fellow SNAPpers within the Science Policy Group at the University of Maryland, College Park had an Advocacy Week and Congressional Visit Day this past month. 13 UMD students visited 11 offices of 4 states in the House and Senate to discuss the importance of federal support for the scientists who get science done. Among the issues discussed were: Federal funding for science, International STEM talent, Federal programs for STEM outreach, and AI and the STEM workforce.

UMD Advocacy Week

  • SNAP member Disha Patel co-organized the 7th Annual Indiana Science Communication Day at the Indiana Statehouse, which took place on February 25th, 2026. This event was a joint collaboration between the Science Policy Initiative at Notre Dame and the Science Communication and Outreach Club at Indiana University School of Medicine. Early-career researchers from across universities in Indiana went to the Statehouse to talk to legislators about scientific research in the state and science policies. Attendees presented posters, gave short talks, and attended a public session.

Indiana Science Communication Day

  • Several SNAPpers participated in the Northwestern University Science Policy Outreach Taskforce (SPOT) Hill Day at the Illinois State Capitol on February 24. Eleven STEM graduate students spoke with the offices of more than 20 state senators and representatives about the services students and early-career researchers can provide to policymakers, such as the creation of nonpartisan one-pagers and fact sheets pertaining to science-related bills. Join SPOT on April 2 for a hybrid SciPol Symposium on The Business of Science: The Downstream Impacts of Research Funding Cuts!

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