Resources

A wealth of resources and educational opportunities are available to help turn your energy and support for science into real actions that make a difference. The links below showcase the many ways you can take action, strengthen your advocacy skills, and potentially organize a Science Rising event yourself.

Links and resources are drawn from the many groups participating in Science Rising, along with a broader network of citizen advocacy groups. (This is a continually expanding list—email us at resources@sciencerising.org with suggestions!)

If you aren’t sure if you’ll have the time to put these resources to use, you can use this post as a starting point.

Come together to engage with policymakers

From meeting with your elected officials to speaking up at town halls, coordinating call-in days to hosting a party that generates personal letters or public comments, teaming up with fellow scientist advocates and partners can significantly increase your influence on policymakers—and help to hold them accountable for how they act on science.


Bring science to the public spotlight through local media

Whether it’s joining forces on a group op-ed, meeting with your local editorial board, or getting a group together to craft letters-to-the-editor, you can help make science accessible and set the record straight on misinformation.

Organize a training or event

Support your peers and partners’ desire to learn and sharpen their skills in science advocacy, science policy, or other ways to elevate the role of science in our political process. Such events can be in-person or online (e.g. Facebook Live).

Bring your skills and resources to support local communities

Engage in your communities and meet with local community group to offer technical support or scientific assistance. Listen to community needs and help connect them with the right scientific resources or expertise they need to advocate for themselves.

Encourage, motivate, and inspire your community to engage in the democratic process

Democracy depends on public participation. Help get your friends, neighbors, and community members to local polling places and organize events and activities to support voter registration and turnout.

Support government scientists 

Organize a group to send them thank you letters or rally outside their building to show you stand with government science and scientists.

Team up with advocates on social media to spark a public dialogue.

Come together with a group to live tweet an event. Organize a Twitter storm, TweetChat, or Google Hangout to raise awareness about a specific issue and invite others to the dialogue.

Get creative

Need more ideas? Here are some more fun options to consider:

  • Host a film screening or a lecture. Give people a way to take action at the end on the issue being discussed.
  • Have a “science fair for policy makers.” Make a science prop or display with a group and then deliver it to your policymaker.
  • Host a data-saving hack-a-thon to help protect data on federal web sites
  • Get a group together to attend local appearances by candidates–and ask them questions that put science front and center in the discussion

Science Rising signs and visual resources

To help highlight participation in Science Rising, we offer the following visual resources:

Event organizers can highlight their participation in Science Rising on event brochures, flyers, or other materials. Download the full-size image. Stickers are also available—contact support@sciencerising.org for more information.
You can download a full-size image for printing signs, or a smaller image for other uses.
Encourage people to share why they vote for science! Download the full-size image for signs and other larger format uses.

A note on printing signs: To produce signs for rallies or other events where people will be holding up the sign, ask your local print shop for 100# (100-pound) cover stock, double-sided. For hanging up at an event, a more standard 20# paper weight, single-sided is generally sufficient.