Urge local media to inform voters about the impacts of federal research funding cuts by joining the McClintock Letters campaign. Help publish over 1,000 columns, opinion pieces and letters by June 16, the birthday of Barbara McClintock, Cornell geneticist who won the Nobel Prize in 1983 for her work on jumping genes. The target of the campaign is not policymakers, but rather the local media groups who have the ear of voters in communities who collectively place people in public office to effect change.

Led by the graduate student run Advancing Science and Policy, the goal is to avoid partisanship grand standing which has been ineffectual in changing opinions. The McClintock Letters focus on stories of graduate students’ own research and how they were inspired to further their STEM studies. By increasing awareness in communities of the impact of federally funded research, the campaign hopes to reverse the effects of long-standing failures of scientists and engineers to effectively communicate the value of their work to public audiences.

The group is teaming up with other nation-wide efforts that include support from a myriad of professional societies. Help rebuild trust in science and address misinformation by contributing to this effort.

The grassroots effort caught the eye of Forbes author Shalin Jyotishi in his article “NSF, NIH Funding Cuts Spur Student-Led Science Communication Campaign” Read the Forbes article