What you can doThe Trump administration has announced that it is ending Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA), which protects 800,000 immigrant youth from deportation. Find out more, including what you can do, here.The Department of Labor is asking for information on the impact of its 2016 overtime rule, which would increase postdoc salaries, among other benefits. You can read more about the rule here and submit your comments at Regulations.gov before September 25.Trump nominates Rep. Bridenstine to head NASAOn Friday, September 1, the Trump administration announced that, as expected, it would be nominating Rep. Jim Bridenstine (R-OK) to be Administrator of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). The position requires confirmation from the Senate, and Bridenstine will likely face opposition from Senate Democrats due to statements he made in 2013 downplaying climate change. However a University of Oklahoma official insists that Bridenstine does believe the c...

Read More

While our thoughts today are with those in Houston and along the Gulf Coast impacted by Hurricane Harvey and its ongoing flooding, here's a summary of what happened over the last week in science and technology policy.What you can doFind out how you can help victims of Harvey here.RISE Stronger is teaming up with 500 Women Scientists to tweet in support of science funding on September 5. Find out more about how you can participate in the #fundUSAscience campaign here.The Department of Labor is asking for information on the impact of its 2016 overtime rule, which would increase postdoc salaries, among other benefits. You can read more about the rule here and submit your comments at Regulations.gov before September 25.Time is almost up to submit a comment to the FCC on its move to eliminate net neutrality rules. Learn more here, and submit comments directly here. Comments must be submitted by August 30.Join RISE Stronger, It Starts Today, Civic Engagement Fund, Run for Something, Emerg...

Read More

What you can doCheck out the RISE Stronger Guide to the August Recess, which will arm you with information on key issues so you can ask challenging, hard-hitting questions of your members of Congress at town halls, meetings, or other events during the recess.The Department of Labor is asking for information on the impact of its 2016 overtime rule, which would increase postdoc salaries, among other benefits. You can read more about the rule here and submit your comments at Regulations.gov before September 25.Only one week remains to submit a comment to the FCC on its move to eliminate net neutrality rules. Learn more here, and submit comments directly here. Comments must be submitted by August 30.Trump's new priorities for science policy conflict with his own proposed budget cutsOn Thursday, August 17, the White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB) and Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) released a memo that provides the first outline of the Trump administration's p...

Read More

What you can doCheck out the RISE Stronger Guide to the August Recess, which will arm you with information on key issues so you can ask challenging, hard-hitting questions of your members of Congress at town halls, meetings, or other events during the recess.The Department of Labor is asking for information on the impact of its 2016 overtime rule, which would increase postdoc salaries, among other benefits. You can read more about the rule here and submit your comments at Regulations.gov before September 25.The FCC has extended its deadline for public comments on its move to eliminate net neutrality rules. Learn more here, and submit comments directly here. Comments must be submitted by August 30.Want to show your opposition to organized hate groups? Check out Indivisible's Stand in Solidarity with Charlottesville page to find an event near you.Executives resign from Trump council in wake of Charlottesville responseAs of Tuesday, August 15, six executives have resigned from Presiden...

Read More

What you can doCheck out the RISE Stronger Guide to the August Recess, which will arm you with information on key issues so you can ask challenging, hard-hitting questions of your members of Congress at town halls, meetings, or other events during the recess. The Department of Labor is asking for information on the impact of its 2016 overtime rule, which would increase postdoc salaries, among other benefits. You can read more about the rule here and submit your comments at Regulations.gov before September 25.Researchers concerned about border wall's impact on endangered speciesBefore leaving for the August recess, the House approved $1.6 billion in funding for the Trump administration's proposed border wall, a move that has worried conservation biologists who believe the project will hurt efforts to recover endangered species, including the jaguar. A recovery plan for the jaguar released last year requires connectivity across the border to rebuild the population. In an interview wit...

Read More

Introduction The August recess for Congress is here, making it a critical time for you to engage with your elected officials. Representatives began their break on July 28, and the Senate a few days later on August 3. Congress will be back in session after the Labor Day weekend on September 5.This document will arm you with the information you need to ask challenging, hard-hitting questions of your representatives at town halls, meetings or other events. The RISE Stronger Policy Working Group Program has prepared for you overviews of key topics on the national agenda across a range of areas, including the economy and jobs; education; energy and the environment; ethics and open government; foreign policy and national security; healthcare; infrastructure and urban policy; justice and civil liberties; science and technology; and trade and development. These key issues are summarized with background information and relevant questions for you to ask, as well as additional resources for yo...

Read More

This Friday, August 4, is the first deadline for our Op-Ed Project: Building a Better Society Through Science. There's still time to join us in writing op-eds in support of government funding for science, technology, and the programs that improve our society. Learn more here.House "minibus" appropriations bill would boost military, cut scienceOn Thursday, July 27, the House approved its FY18 "minibus" appropriations bill for defense, energy, and water. The bill includes cuts that, while less severe than those proposed by the President, still fall heavily on energy programs. These include a 47% cut to the budget for the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (Trump had proposed 69%), and elimination of the Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E), which funds research in new energy technologies. However, the bill is expected to face opposition in the Senate, which supports higher levels of funding for the Department of Energy (DOE). Also, the House bill would excee...

Read More

RISE Stronger has teamed up with 500 Women Scientists, the Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS), and the Engaging Scientists and Engineers in Policy (ESEP) Coalition to launch an exciting op-ed writing campaign. Join us, and speak up for science by writing an op-ed in support of government funding for science, technology, and the programs that improve our society in general. Learn more here.USDA chief scientist nominee has no science backgroundPresident Trump has nominated Sam Clovis, a former adviser to the Trump campaign, to serve as the Department of Agriculture's (USDA's) Undersecretary for Research, Education, and Economics, which is the chief scientist position at the USDA. Clovis, a former business administration professor at Morningside College, holds an MBA and degrees in political science and public administration, but has neither a degree nor experience in agricultural science. Clovis also describes himself as a skeptic of human-caused climate change. The Union of Concerne...

Read More

RISE Stronger has teamed up with 500 Women Scientists, the Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS), and the Engaging Scientists and Engineers in Policy (ESEP) Coalition to launch an exciting op-ed writing campaign. Join us, and speak up for science by writing an op-ed in support of government funding for science, technology, and the programs that improve our society in general. Learn more here.Trump nominates Wall Street executive to be DOE Undersecretary for ScienceOn Tuesday, July 11, President Trump nominated Paul Dabbar to be Undersecretary for Science at the Department of Energy (DOE). Currently Managing Director for Mergers and Acquisition at J.P. Morgan, Dabbar's nomination adds to President Trump's nominees for key administrative positions drawn from Wall Street banks and industry. Dabbar currently serves on the DOE Environmental Management Advisory Board. Previously, the role of Undersecretary of Science was tasked with overseeing the $5 billion budget allocated to the Office o...

Read More

UPDATE: View the the list of published op-eds here.RISE Stronger, 500 Women Scientists, the Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS), and the Engaging Scientists and Engineers in Policy (ESEP) Coalition have come together to call on you to speak up for science by writing an op-ed in support of government funding for science, technology, and the programs that help build our society, support our local communities, and make the world a better place.Speak to your local community and lawmakers by writing an op-ed for your local paper.Benefit from editing assistance to help present your message clearly and convincingly.Learn more about how to join this exciting project, including the timeline, op-ed guidelines and examples, and helpful resources on the FY18 budget.Sign up to join the project as a writer and/or editor.Join us for a conference call/webinar on July 24 or July 28 (Update: see below for links to recordings).Submit your first draft to [email protected] by August 4.Final ...

Read More