Early-career scientists build national infrastructure to bridge science and policy

A new Special Report in the journal BioScience introduces the Scientist Network for Advancing Policy (SNAP), a student-led nonpartisan grassroots coalition founded in 2025 to empower early-career researchers to engage with science policy, advocacy, and public communication. The report details the ways in which SNAP is reshaping the role of scientists in their communities.

SNAP emerged in response to a long-recognized gap: most academic training leaves scientists underprepared to navigate policy and civic discourse. As the authors write, "civic engagement is not an 'add-on' but a core part of scientific practice, particularly for early-career researchers."

The coalition's first major initiative, the McClintock Letters—named for Nobel laureate Barbara McClintock—encouraged scientists to write op-eds for their hometown newspapers about the value of federally funded research. Over 200 letters have been published across at least 45 states, Washington, DC, and Puerto Rico. A second initiative brought congressional advocacy to local district offices, lowering barriers to participation. Inspired by AIBS's annual Biological Sciences Congressional District Visits, SNAP coordinated 54 visits spanning 29 states, engaging both Democratic and Republican offices.

Continuing this momentum, SNAP is organizing Stance on Science, an initiative to track candidates’ science-related positions, along with an open-access Science Policy 101 curriculum and a Science Policy Hackathon.

The authors argue that lasting change requires institutional investment: "Universities and funding agencies must recognize civic engagement as a core competency and invest in long-term capacity-building." They further point out that, when scientists are equipped to engage, "they can strengthen democratic institutions, inform policy, and help ensure that science serves the public good."

The full article is available at https://doi.org/10.1093/biosci/biag053