STEM public policy training, resources, and opportunities

These resources are curated by and courtesy of Dr. Tessa Solomon-Lane, Dr. Alexa Warwick, Dr. Travis Hagey, and Dr. Hans Hofmann on behalf of the BEACON Center for the Study of Evolution in Action. Huge thanks to Dr. Tessa Solomon-Lane for sharing these resources with our community.

Know Your Rights: Legal Literacy Training for Scientists

This workshop, led by attorneys from the Climate Science Legal Defense Fund, was held on Tuesday, October 9th in collaboration with 500 Women Scientists DC and the Union of Concerned Scientists. The presentation was geared to help scientists from all disciplines understand their legal rights and responsibilities, and how to handle these types of situations.

In recent years, well-meaning scientists and academics have experienced problems after advocating for science or taking a personal political stance. They’ve also become victims of harassment due to their findings or field of study, or after making public statements about their work.

Resources outlined by CSLDF can be found in full on their website. These include guides to knowing your rights while protesting or engaging in other forms of activism, how to handle political harassment and legal intimidation, what scientists should know when they write open letters, and how scientists can protect politically inconvenient but scientifically salient information.

500 Women Scientists is on its way to becoming a powerful organization representing the voices of tens of thousands of women scientists all over the globe. With your gift we can pay for the vital infrastructure we need. Plus, your donations help keep 500WS resources free and open, one less barrier to women in science.