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AMS Catalyzing Advocacy in Science and Engineering (CASE) Workshop

The American Mathematical Society (AMS) sponsors two students annually to participate in the Catalyzing Advocacy in Science and Engineering (CASE) workshop, organized by the American Association for the Advancement of Science.

The CASE Workshop introduces STEM students to the federal policy-making process, and empowers them to become advocates for basic research throughout their careers.

Selected students will each receive up to US$1600 to travel to and participate in a three-and-a-half day workshop in Washington, D.C., learning about the structure and organization of Congress, the federal budget and appropriations processes, and tools for effective science communication and civic engagement. The AMS will cover all workshop and travel costs. Sponsored students must attend the entire workshop.

The next CASE Workshop will be held in March 2024.  Applications will open this fall.

PhD Students Sumun Iyer and Sangsan Wakkagan

This experience gave me a much deeper idea of what science policy work is like. It was eye opening to see the kinds of questions that policymakers are interested in and the kinds of data and arguments they find meaningful. It was also interesting to get a sense of the culture in congress, advocacy groups, and executive agencies and especially the differences in culture between politics and academia. -- Sumun Iyer, Cornell University

The workshop was an effective crash course that covered a wide range of topics, from the history of the United States federal government’s science policy framework to nitty-gritty details of Congressional procedures. In three days, I learned how bills become laws, how research gets funded, and how to engage with lawmakers; I heard from people on both sides, from congressional offices and federal agencies, from Democrats and Republicans; I had conversations with graduate students in other fields from different schools, whom I may not have much chance to interact with otherwise. Most excitingly, I had an opportunity to visit my representatives’ offices, making a case for mathematics research and education.  -- Sangsan Wakkagan, Boston College