MIT students and postdocs advocate for science and engineering funding on Capitol Hill
On April 24-26, 24 MIT graduate students, undergraduates, and postdocs traveled to Washington to participate in the annual Science-Engineering-Technology Congressional Visits Day (CVD). The delegation met with 80 offices of the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives from 22 states, including staff from three House and Senate committees, to advocate for continued federal investment in basic science and engineering research. The Science Policy Initiative (SPI), a student group that facilitates student involvement in public policy, organized the visit, marking the 11th consecutive year MIT students have participated in the event. “We hope teaching students about political advocacy and training them to interact with policymakers, and non-scientists in general, will amplify the impact our graduates and trainees can have in their respective communities,” said Shelby Doyle, a graduate student in the MIT Department of Biological Engineering, who organized the trip. “It also ignites a further sense of civic duty, getting MIT students...