The Price of Research

Alyse Steves

EScAN hosted Congressman Tom Price in a town hall style event. From left to right: Jarred Whitlock, Joshua Lewis, Crystal Grant, Congressman Price, Alyssa Scott, Alyse Steves, Rachel Pearcy, and Tom Hennessy. 

Emory Science Advocacy Network (EScAN) was founded in 2014 as a graduate student organization that seeks to communicate and advocate for the importance of scientific funding. It’s Letter Writing Campaign, which began in 2014, has been EScAN’s main event since its conception and has had great attendance each year. 

EScAN hosted its Third Annual Letter Writing Campaign during the spring semester. The Letter Writing Campaign aims to urge members of Congress to continue to fund basic research by sending individual letters to Georgia’s senators and representatives. This year’s event was orchestrated by President Josh Lewis, Vice-President of Current Affairs Crystal Grant, Vice-President of Communications Jarred Whitlock, Vice-President of Finance Alyse Steves, as well as executives-in-training Alyssa Scott, Tom Hennessey, and Rachel Pearcy, and former executives Julia Omotade and Amanda York. The event sent 660 letters to members of Congress. Participants had the option of signing their names to a drafted letter and sending it to their Senators and the Congressman representing their district, or participants could personally write a letter to their representatives.

Additionally, EScAN hosted Congressman and Chairman of the House Budget Committee Tom Price for a town hall style event on federal science funding. The event was put together by Josh Lewis, Crystal Grant, Jarred Whitlock, Alyse Steves, Alyssa Scott, Tom Hennessey, and Rachel Pearcy. The event was attended by roughly 250 scientists and researchers from the Laney Graduate School, the School of Medicine, and the School of Public Health. The event was supported by Cameron Taylor, Emory’s Vice President for Government and Community Affairs, EScAN’s faculty mentors Drs. Charles Easley and Andrew Kowalczyk, Dr. Gary Miller, the Associate Dean of the School of Public Health, as well as the Departments of Cell Biology, Biochemistry, Human Genetics, Emory Catering, and the Graduate Student Council.

EScAN’s Third Annual Letter Writing Campaign attracted over 220 participants and sent over 600 letters to Georgia’s representatives.