16 December 2016

Congressional Visit Days in 2017

Heather Bloemhard Vanderbilt University

Every year the AAS brings volunteers to Washington, DC, to advocate for federal support of their science with their members of Congress for a Congressional Visits Day (CVD). This is part of a coordinated effort to gather scientists, engineers, researchers, educators, and technology executives in the nation’s capital to raise visibility and support for science, engineering, and technology.

This year there will be two Congressional Visits Day opportunities: the AAS CVD and the SET CVD.

A few things to keep in mind while you consider volunteering for either opportunity:

  • You must be an AAS member.
  • You must be eligible to vote in the United States.
  • You may volunteer for both opportunities using the form linked below.

AAS CVD

This year the AAS CVD will be held Tuesday-Wednesday, 21-22 March 2017, with both days requiring full-day commitments, about 8:00 am to 6:00 pm. Day 1 will be an all-day seminar on how to communicate effectively with policy makers, including some information on the issues that are currently impacting astronomy and science in general. Day 2 will be a day full of meetings on Capitol Hill with congressional staffers. There will also be an optional half-day training on 20 March, usually starting after lunch.

We aim to select at least 15 volunteers who balance the program by location, career stage, and experience. We especially encourage graduate students and early-career professionals to volunteer. Volunteer sign-up is open now through 23 January 2017 30 January 2017. Selected members will be notified mid-February 2017. AAS has sufficient funds to reimburse most travel expenses related to the AAS CVD.

SET CVD

The AAS is a part of the Science-Engineering-Technology (SET) Working Group, which is organizing a CVD on Tuesday-Wednesday, 25-26 April 2017. Both days will require full-day commitments, about 8:00 am to 6:00 pm. Day 1 will be an all-day seminar on how to communicate effectively with policy makers, including some information on the issues that are currently impacting science in general. Day 2 will be a day full of meetings on Capitol Hill with congressional staffers.

We aim to select around six volunteers who balance the program by career stage and experience. We especially encourage graduate students and early-career professionals to volunteer. Volunteer sign-up is open now through 28 February 2017. Selected members will be notified early-March 2017. AAS will be able to reimburse per diem and minimal travel expenses but does not have sufficient funds to reimburse other expenses for SET CVD.

Sign Up for AAS CVD 2017 and/or SET CVD 2017

Check out these blog posts written by past CVD participants for an idea of what you can expect:

If you have any additional questions about volunteering, please get in touch!