Policy & Advocacy

Adriana Bankston, a former AAAS-ASGCT Congressional Policy Fellow in the U.S. House of Representatives*, shares how she used her background as a scientist to shape policy during uncertain times. She explains why advocacy matters at every career stage, and how individual voices can make an impact in the U.S. Congress.

Our latest blog series shedding light on how members of our community are being affected by recent government funding and policy changes continues with a look into the economic impact to the United States and loss of output from decreased investment in science. Read the previous post on how the changes are impacting early career…

The American Dream once promised that talent and hard work could open doors. For early career scientists, those doors are now closing. Research is being paused or studies outright canceled, funding delayed or completely pulled, and careers cut short—not because of bad science, but because of changing political priorities. Researchers are being forced to choose: leave science or leave the country. These setbacks send a clear message: the U.S. commitment to supporting the next generation of scientists is waning.

The U.S. has long been a global leader in science, but that position is at risk. As research funding drops and political pressures rise, scientists, particularly in academia and research institutes, are at a crossroads—what will happen to their labs and their research? Innovation is slowing, and the next generation of researchers is being driven out. Without renewed support, the future of American science and the benefits it brings to our nation could be lost.

A message to the GSA Community from The Executive Committee of the Genetics Society of America

To the GSA Community,   We are carefully monitoring the changes coming from the new United States Presidential administration, including the communications pause and travel ban affecting employees of federal agencies under the Department of Health and Human Services umbrella, preventing travel to scientific conferences. Organizations affected include the National Institutes of Health and the U.S.…