For four Guarini School doctoral students, this April meant a different kind of fieldwork: taking their research to Washington and making the case for science on Capitol Hill.
Savannah Byron (engineering, PhD Innovation Program), Aislinn Gilmour (quantitative biomedical sciences), Salar Khaleghzadegan (health policy and clinical practice), and Mizuki Tojo (integrative neuroscience) traveled to Washington, D.C. as part of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) Catalyzing Advocacy in Science and Engineering (CASE) workshop, an intensive program that equips graduate students with the tools to engage with the federal policymaking process and advocate for the value of scientific research.
The graduate students came from different fields but found that the workshop’s core curriculum, spanning the structure of Congress, the federal appropriations process, and science communication, offered something useful regardless of their research focus.
The week concluded with Hill Day — visits to the offices of New Hampshire’s two senators and both House members — organized by Emily Burlij, the director of federal relations at Dartmouth, whose office co-sponsors the trip alongside the Guarini School. “It’s really useful for these offices to come in contact with people who are the actual beneficiaries of this funding,” said Burlij. “They can have a preview of the future of science.”
For students who want to be part of that effort, whether through a fellowship, a Hill visit, or simply learning to talk about their work differently, Burlij encourages them not to wait, and to reach out to the Office of Federal Relations to learn more or get involved.
Learn more about each student’s research and path to the Guarini School in their individual spotlights:
