Advocacy in action, ACS’s commitment to science and policy

At a time when science advocacy is more critical than ever, the American Chemical Society is mobilizing its members to engage directly with lawmakers and shape the future of the chemical sciences. Through both in-person and virtual efforts, ACS is expanding its reach and impact on Capitol Hill. There are multiple ways for ACS members to engage with elected representatives, including in-person visits, virtual meetings, and sending letters and email messages. For example, the June ACS legislative fly-in brought the ACS Board of Directors to Washington, DC, for high-level meetings with members of the US Congress. These meetings focused on research funding, workforce development, science, technology, engineering, and mathematics education, and scientific integrity—policy areas directly affecting the chemistry enterprise. ACS leaders demonstrated the value of chemistry and the importance of sustained federal investment in science. Building on the momentum from the ACS Board visit, ACS is launching an experiment that will involve more members who wish to engage in science advocacy through virtual visits to Capitol Hill. This experiment will give ACS members who are already involved in ACS advocacy efforts the opportunity to meet virtually with their representatives, with the first ACS virtual Hill visits scheduled for July 14–25. The new format for this process was designed to rapidly scale advocacy efforts during this crucial time, allowing us to learn from the feedback and experiences of these members to improve the virtual advocacy process moving forward. Following this experiment, the ACS Office of Government Affairs will expand and offer