Science Alliance
The New York Academy of Sciences
eBriefing 
Science Advocacy: Communicating with Policy Makers
Reported by
Posted October 20, 2020
Presented By
As scientists, our voices are a necessary part of the policy making process, yet few of us know how to lend our expertise. We vote, we send form letters written by our professional societies, or we may even call our congressional office. However, our skills and experience as scientists mean we can do more.
Jessica Winter and Adriana Bankston joined the Academy for a discussion of the critical relationship between scientists policy makers. As key advocates for scientific funding and training, both Winter and Bankston influence scientific development by communicating science to policy makers on the Hill.
In this eBriefing, You’ll Learn
- How scientists advocate for scientific development to influence policy makers and drive funding of scientific research.
- How to be an effective communicator, leveraging your scientific background.
- How to help policy makers connect with their constituents to translate policy implementation as a benefit for society.
- How to leverage your university-government liaison office to build your credibility in the field of science policy.
Advocating for Science to Policy Makers
Jessica Winter, PhD
The Ohio State University
Dr. Winter joined the faculty The Ohio State University in 2006. She completed her graduate work under the guidance of Dr. Christine Schmidt (BME) and Dr. Brian Korgel (ChE) at the University of Texas at Austin in the area of biological nanoparticles. Her postdoctoral work was performed at the Center for Innovative Visual Rehabilitation, a collaborative effort between Harvard Medical School and MIT to develop a prosthesis to restore lost visual function. Her work, conducted under the supervision of Dr. Joseph Rizzo, III (Ophthalmology, Harvard Medical) and Dr. Stuart Cogan (EIC Laboratories, Norwood, MA), examined the application of tissue engineering techniques to neural prosthetic devices. Dr. Winter is the recipient of an NSF IGERT fellowship, NSF graduate research fellowship, Biomedical Engineering Society Graduate Student Award, and the Materials Research Society Gold Graduate Student Award.
Adriana Bankston, PhD
The University of California (UC) Office of Federal Governmental Relations
Dr. Bankston serves as an advocate for UC with Congress, the Administration, and federal agencies. Prior to this position, Bankston was a Policy & Advocacy Fellow at The Society for Neuroscience (SfN), where she provided staff support for special and ongoing projects, including SfN’s annual lobby event and the society’s annual meeting. In addition to working at UC, Adriana also serves as Vice-President of Future of Research, and is Chief Outreach Officer at the Journal of Science Policy and Governance. Adriana obtained her PhD in Biochemistry, Cell and Developmental Biology from Emory University, and a Bachelor’s in Biological Sciences from Clemson University.