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Speaking of values, it is worth recalling that when we engage Yes, Someone is Listening—and Responding
in our highly trained way of developing and presenting evidence, Wait. You’re a trained skeptic. Why should you engage with
another construct is also at work, often subconsciously. This is Congress when politics is just a power game, right? Wrong!
our level of scientific integrity and professional ethics. Our prin- If you take away one thing from this article, I hope it will be
ciples act as internal oversight—our own system of checks and this: Members of Congress and their staff are incredibly com-
balances—on how we do science, where we apply our expertise, mitted to their work and their values, and by and large, they
and how we relate to each other and to society. listen closely as they try to balance many competing interests.
One of the burdens of expertise is earning and keeping the Granted, your values might not always align with your member
public trust. If we ignore our ethical relationship with society, of Congress but regardless you will find they still want to know
people will not consent to listen to us. And with growing anti- what you think. Why? Because you are their constituent.
intellectualism in our culture, shared values are more important Members of Congress are also positively influenced by con-
than ever. Therefore, our responsibility and role in civil society stituent advocacy. The highest-rated strategies for having a lot of
is not entirely dissimilar from that of lawmakers. Neither law positive influence on congressional decisions are not visits from
nor science can be value free. We must be civic scientists. lobbyists or blast emails; they are in-person member and staff
meetings with constituents, communications from individuals
“A ‘civic scientist’ to me is a true scientist who uses his or her knowl- and constituent groups in the member’s district or state, con-
edge, accomplishments, and analytical skills to help bridge the gap
between science and society.” —Dr. Neal Lane, 1998–2001 Assistant stituent comments at in-person or telephone town halls, and per-
to the President for Science and Technology sonalized constituent messages. That means your direct partici-
pation as a constituent counts—a lot—and has more influence
One way to strategically bridge this gap is by demonstrating on lawmakers’ decisions than other advocacy strategies. Learn
that our knowledge is consequential, timely, and a means for more at www.congressfoundation.org/projects/communicating
meeting societal needs and values. For example, let’s reframe a -with-congress/citizen-centric-advocacy-2017.
few geoscience themes into messages reflecting the expressed Lastly, if you harbor reservations about requesting a meeting
powers of Congress and a non-partisan values perspective: with your member’s office, know it is perfectly okay to ask for
• We value Congress’ work on laws to strengthen and protect and take their time. I can occasionally fall into the trap of think-
infrastructure during mass evacuations, and are reaching out to ing, “they are busy people doing the nation’s work; I don’t want
offer insight on how geological factors affect the foundational to be a bother.” Yes, they are busy people, but they are doing the
integrity of infrastructure and might be addressed in your bill; people’s work. They are professionals. This is their job. Their
• We are developing forecasting models for climate, atmospheric, responsibility is to listen and ours is to speak up. So remember,
and space weather events and would like to meet to discuss our constituent visits are expected and welcomed! Relationship-
concerns about potential impacts on the nation’s health and abil- building with congressional staff also offers the potential to be a
ity to conduct commerce; valued and trusted informal adviser on an ongoing basis, with
• Because we understand significant money is required for assuring opportunities to make an even greater impact with Congress—
long-term nuclear waste storage, we would like to talk with you and on the future of the geoscience profession.
about safety risks and offer ideas on appropriations for innovative
R&D toward mitigating these risks; and Next Steps: Practicalities and Other Lessons Learned
• We are aware of plans to develop a federal onshore energy pro- GSA can connect you with tools for doing your homework on the
duction strategy in order to promote national security, and given issues, honing your science policy communication skills, and put-
your congressional oversight role with oil and gas production, we ting the “positive social influence” in your advocacy. GSA’s Kasey
are seeking inclusion of best practices for siting new pipelines. White is the lead author of “Working with Congress: A Scientist’s
We can also bridge this gap through relationship-building. In Guide to Policy,” a 78-page manual published by AAAS. I also
Congress, the words of cultural anthropologist Margaret Mead invite you to visit GSA’s Speaking of Geoscience at https://
TM
still ring true: speakingofgeoscience.org to read my accompanying blogs on the
“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can most useful lessons I learned during my spring 2019 stint on Capitol
change the world; indeed, it’s the only thing that ever has.” Hill. It was an honor to participate on behalf of GSA.

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