Lukas Tamm, President of the Biophysical Society and Director of the Center for Membrane and Cell Physiology did just that…
Bill Gates and Francis Collins (Director of NIH and UVa alumnus who grew up in Staunton and was a UVa Chemistry major) recently spoke to a group of geneticists about compelling advances in several areas of biomedical research, see
http://washingtonupdate.faseb.org/bill-gates-francis-collins-address-american-society-human-genetics-meeting-attendees/
In his concluding remarks, Collins made a pointed plea to the assembled geneticists: meet one-on-one with members of Congress and share scientific stories. “I can’t tell you how important it is, that when those [funding] decisions are made, that the members of Congress actually have some sense about what’s being done,” Collins said. “And that it’s being done not just in Bethesda, Maryland, but it’s being done in every state and every district around this whole country.”
Dr. Lukas Tamm, President of the Biophysical Society and Director of the Center for Membrane and Cell Physiology did just that, as part of a Biophysical Society effort to engage politicians in what we do. Dr. Tamm talked to the science people in the offices of Tim Kaine, Mark Warner, and Tom Garrett (as well as several others members of Congress). He impressed on them how important it is to have robust, sustained, and predictable science budgets if the US wants to keep its leadership position in scientific discoveries in the world.
“Speak to your representatives too and tell your friends and family members to do so also.”
Video footage of the Gates and Collins portion of the symposium is available HERE
Bill Gates and Francis Collins at the Presential Symposium during 2017 ASHG Annual Meeting. Photo from FASEB.