TLDR: Learn more about the new Friends and Family for Scientists initiative at our 4/28 planning meeting. Check out upcoming SNAP events on our community calendar. Make sure to follow our Medium blog for the latest articles by SNAPpers, and join Stance on Science!

Upcoming SNAP Events

SNAP will be hosting a community webinar on creative communication of science, combining joy, clarity, humor, and connection! We invite you to attend “Seriously Funny, with Sarah Adelman, MPH” on Tuesday, June 2nd at 5:30 pm ET.

What’s the secret antidote to the growing communication gap between research discoveries and sharing that knowledge with the world? Comedy! Drawing on experience as both a published research scientist and a touring stand-up comic, Sarah will share practical lessons from comedy - including storytelling, timing, and confidence - that help scientists cut through jargon, connect with audiences, and communicate their work with clarity and impact.

SNAP is really excited to start hosting more regular webinars, and we are thrilled to have Sarah speaking next month! Please register at: https://us06web.zoom.us/meeting/register/twHcHa2AQfCCU3cdx4UceA

*You can find this event and more on our events calendar!*

Friends and Family for Scientists Initiative

The Friends and Family for Scientists campaign is about inviting the people closest to us, our friends, relatives, and community members, into the fight to protect research funding. In response to the President’s proposed fiscal year 2027 budget, which includes steep cuts to research agencies like the National Institutes of Health and the National Science Foundation, this campaign aims to turn personal connections into powerful advocacy. We want to help our loved ones understand what we study, why it matters, and how it directly impacts their lives and communities. From there, we’ll support them in turning that understanding into action—whether by writing a letter or making a call to their U.S. Senators and Representative or even an op-ed. If you’re interested in signing up to help a family member or friend advocate, fill out this survey!

SNAP Blog - Science Policy in a SNAP

You can access our blog, 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 piece from SNAP members Sahana Kumar, Becca Blyn, and Emily Selland on the World Health Organization! Read “Who is WHO? The World Health Organization is a Pillar of Science Policy Regulations” here. You can also check out “Why Everyone Should Care About Population Aging (And What’s Being Done About It in Terms of Policy),” by SNAPper Edith Marie Green, who reflects on her community connections and research on population aging! You can read that here.

This week we had a Member SNAPshot! Check out the piece here to learn more about SNAPpers Youssef El Gharably, Sneha Rao, and Doran Goldman!

Coming out May 19, a group of SNAPpers (Shaurita D. Hutchins, Amanda Finn, Sarah Berretta, & Kass Fernandez) will be discussing Marginalized Communities in Science and Science Policy, and on May 26, SNAPper Liam Russel will discuss how STEM Writing Consultants can support broad science communication! 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

Stance on Science participants are asking science policy-related questions of candidates running in local, state, and national races during the 2026 elections. State teams have started to develop their questionnaires, plan candidate outreach, and set up town halls in their communities. This is a great time to get involved and make sure science policy issues important to your community are included as teams get ready to contact campaigns, especially with primaries approaching in many states!

There is still time to volunteer! If you’re interested in helping out 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! The following states still need at least one volunteer:

  • Idaho
  • Montana
  • North Dakota
  • Oklahoma
  • Rhode Island

Don’t see your state in the list above? That means you get to join an existing team! The more people we have from as many districts in as many states as possible, the broader the reach of the initiative, so please sign up! Reach out to snapscipolorg@gmail.com with any questions.

As part of Stance, SNAP, Coalition of Athens Scientists and nine other environmental organizations hosted the 2026 Athens Mayoral Candidate Forum on Energy and the Environment in Athens, GA. The forum had 132 attendees and was featured in several local newspapers! Full video recording of the forum is available here.

2026 Athens Mayoral Candidate Forum on Energy and the Environment

SNAP Podcast

SNAP is gearing up for our inaugural episode! Stay tuned!

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. Final curriculum expected Fall 2026! Need a module sooner for your science policy group? Reach out to snapscipolorg@gmail.com.

SciPol Hackathon

Be on the lookout, SNAP’s SciPol Hackathon is coming to a university near you! This project will be piloted this spring and rolled out across the country this fall.

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.

Sign up and submit project ideas here!

SNAP Retreat

Next month in DC, SNAP members will be convening to discuss the future of SNAP, new initiatives, and more! Stay tuned for highlights and new developments.

External Opportunities

State fellowships

New Jersey

Pennsylvania

California

Open positions (paid or volunteer)

Events

  • 2026 State Legislative Advocacy Academy will be hosted by Lawyers for Good Government every other Friday (March 27 through June 26) at 11am PT/2pm ET. Register here.
  • The Association of Science Communicators is starting a monthly speaker series and monthly virtual networking! Check out those events here.
  • Science for Georgia is hosting the Environmental Justice and Climate Protection Conference at the Georgia Institute of Technology on June 11th and 12th, 2026. This conference is very affordable and a great way to connect with other environmental and science-informed policy activists in Georgia. Learn more here.

Resources and Opportunities

  • The German American Conference at Harvard Kennedy School is accepting submissions for its student-led transatlantic policy essay competition, inviting applicants ages 18–35 to pitch a concrete U.S.–Europe policy challenge that could realistically be addressed within the next decade. This year’s tracks include Sustainability, Environment & Health and Technology & Innovation, making it a great opportunity for scientists and researchers to turn technical expertise into actionable policy ideas; finalists may receive conference admission, travel support, and the opportunity to present live at the conference. A few key details:
    • Essay deadline: June 15, 2026, 11:59pm ET
    • Eligibility: Ages 18–35 at the time of the conference
    • Info webinars: May 9 and May 31 at 6pm CET / 12pm ET / 9am PT
  • Raise awareness on how to advocate for public servants who protect our health, environment and communities: Use this toolkit to help recognize and honor the people who serve our nation at every level of government.
  • The Partnership for Public Service wants to hear from you about how our government should continue to change for the future as we approach America’s 250th birthday. Submit your ideas, feedback and hopes for how your government can better serve your needs.
  • To show the full scale of harms from recent federal funding cuts at science-focused agencies like NIH, EPA, NOAA and more, Partnership for Public Service has started tracking this in The Unraveling of Public Science and will release a more fulsome Science tracker at the end of May
  • SNAPpers JP Flores and Emma Courtney (Co-Founders of Science For Good) are actively recruiting for SCORSU, the STEM Career Outlook Research Study on Undergraduates, a national research study exploring how recent shifts in federal science policy are shaping the attitudes, aspirations, and experiences of undergraduate students interested in STEM research careers. The survey can be found here.

DID YOU KNOW? SNAP hosts a community calendar where you can find these events and more!

Want to see your events shared with the SNAP community? Shoot us an email at snapscipolorg@gmail.com, and we will get it posted!

✨SNAPper Highlights and Achievements ✨

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

  • A handful of SNAP members showed up in Washington, D.C. on April 22nd to meet with their representatives about reimagining the financial structure (and resulting incentive structures) of STEM graduate education! SNAPpers attended a congressional briefing on this topic hosted by the Graduate Research and Development (GRAD) Coalition and supported the Coalition in getting the word out.

SNAPpers in Washington, D.C.

  • Congrats to Priyam Joshi for successfully defending their dissertations this month!
  • An article in the Stony Brook Press highlighting SNAPpers Isako Di Tomassi, Erin Morrow, and Emma Scales about last year’s McClintock Letters Initiative
  • SNAPper Emily Selland’s paper, “Rice–fish co-culturing reduces schistosomiasis risk and increases yields and incomes” was published this week in Nature Sustainability! You can check it out here.
  • SNAPper Erin Morrow’s paper, “Dopaminergic processes predict temporal distortions in event memory” was recently published in Nature Communications! Read it here.
  • “The Public’s Science,” an initiative supported by SNAPpers Rose Albert and Brendon Davis was featured here
  • SNAPper Brendon Davis was selected as an AAAS/IEEE Congressional Fellow!
  • SNAPper Edith-Marie Green was awarded a Fulbright Scholar Award and is headed to Potsdam, Germany this fall!
  • SNAPper JP Flores was awarded a Fulbright Scholar Award and is headed to Milan, Italy this fall!
  • SNAPper Sofie Strompf was selected as a 2026 Goldwater Scholar

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