Knuesel advocates for science policy on Capitol Hill
Morgan Knuesel and Andrew Champlin (Ph.D. student in chemistry) in front of Senator Hickenlooper’s office – one of the senators for Colorado.
During spring break, a group of Yale students, including Wright Lab graduate student Morgan Knuesel, traveled to Washington, DC to advocate for science policy in the annual Yale Science Policy Hill Day program.
The group held 82 meetings in just three days with Congressional staff, federal agencies, think tanks, and other key stakeholders. Among the concerns that the group addressed were the Scientific Integrity Act; funding for the physical sciences; protections for lab animals; and wildfire prevention.
Knuesel said, “The STEM Hill Day program was an incredible opportunity for both undergraduate and graduate students to learn how to communicate their science to the people drafting, proposing, and voting on the legislation that directly impacts that science. Policy experts in D.C. need our expertise as scientists, and this program has helped train Yale students on how to have those crucial conversations.”
This year, the Yale group was divided into five teams—biomedical engineering, quantum, space, carbon capture, and energy & land management.
Kneusel said, “I had the opportunity to pull from my experiences in D.C. over the past year to act as more of a mentor for the energy and land management team. The four of us had fifteen meetings in just two days, and I think they did a wonderful job utilizing their professional and personal experiences to give congressional staff actionable steps forward on climate and environment policies.”
To prepare for this event, beginning in the Fall, the group held campus workshops on the basics of science communication and advocacy. Shortly before their visit in March, the group’s focus shifted to developing specific policy asks and scheduling meetings.
Kneusel said, “I look forward to being part of the program again next year, and I encourage everyone who might be interested in learning more about science policy to keep an eye out for workshops that will be hosted again in the Fall.”
This article includes content adapted from the Yale Graduate School of Arts and Sciences news story “Graduate students take science policy to Capitol Hill,” published on April 6, 2026.