Policy > Getting Involved
ESA Graduate Student Policy Award
Each year, the Ecological Society of America offers its member graduate students the opportunity to apply for its Graduate Student Policy Award (GSPA), an award that gives graduate students an all-expenses paid, two-day, hands-on science policy experience in Washington, DC.
Awardees travel to the nation's capital to participate in an orientation, hear briefings from federal agency and congressional officials, network with other scientists from across the U.S., and engage with congressional staff and Members during meetings focused on federally funded STEM research and education.
The ESA GSPA is announced in the late fall and winners are selected by February, with awardees participating in Spring Congressional Visits Day events. The most recent ESA GSPA announcement and instructions to apply is available here.
Past GSPA recipients offer their perspectives on ESA's podcast, An Ecologist Goes to Washington
Questions about this opportunity should be directed to pao@esa.org
Policy Training
ESA policy staff offer training workshops designed to help ecological scientists engage more effectively with policy makers. Featuring hands-on exercises, the workshops include overviews of the workings of Congress, tips on timing and developing a coherent message, and mock congressional meetings. Most recently, ESA organized a workshop focused on engaging at sub-federal levels. Held during the Society's Annual Meeting in Pittsburgh, the workshop included speakers who described their experiences engaging in local, state, or regional policy and included interactive exercises like the one above, giving participants a taste for collaborations with stakeholders with multiple perspectives on an environmental issue.
