Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it’s the only thing that ever has. —Margaret Mead
Now more than ever, scientists must engage the public, explain their work to neighbors, and build support for sound science policies and strong research investments. Many of these tasks fall outside our formal training, but we are nevertheless well equipped to meet them. After all, we are used to tackling complex problems with multi-scale approaches.
At a broad level, we can harness the power of collective action in many forms. I am writing this just after thousands of people in more than 50 US cities joined “Stand Up For Science” rallies across the country in early March. Those grassroots events protested proposed federal funding cuts and decisions on vaccines and nutrition that are not grounded in evidence. A week later, members of the Biophysical Society joined the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology (FASEB) on Capitol Hill to advocate for stable and predictable federal funding for agencies that support biophysics for the coming fiscal year, including the National Institutes of Health, the National Science Foundation, and the Department of Energy. Volunteers were grouped by state and spent the day meeting their elected officials.
What happens in these meetings is simple but powerful: we make a clear “ask” for federal support, and we share stories showing how funding leads to discoveries, medical advances, and local jobs. In our group, we talked about the importance of federal funding support of high-risk, unknown-reward discovery science, such as how investigating bacterial defense mechanisms led to the CRISPR gene editing revolution for medicine. We also highlighted the potential threat to the scientific workforce. Collectively, we visited the offices of elected officials representing 25 states, and early reports suggest these meetings were well received. That is not surprising, because US federal research funding has historically enjoyed strong bipartisan support. In fact, this past fiscal year Congress rejected draconian cuts that initially had been proposed.
This collective form of advocacy is a core role for scientific societies and an important service to our members. Our power comes from joining voices so that research, funding, policy, and public understanding align with Society goals and public needs. We amplified that power by partnering with FASEB, which represents 20 member societies and approximately 100,000 biomedical researchers worldwide. Cross-discipline collaboration presents a unified position on shared interests, increases credibility and political influence, and multiplies the impact of each member’s efforts.
At the same time, BPS brings its members’ efforts to the global stage. The BPS Ambassador Program mobilizes regional members to promote biophysics abroad. Ambassadors amplify messaging worldwide through BPS Bulletin “Around the World” pieces that add a regional lens to public engagement.
BPS also advocates for policies that support cross-border collaboration and researcher mobility. In the United States, this includes engagement on visa and immigration issues that affect international scientists. Across the globe, BPS sponsors member-initiated BPS Conferences and Thematic Meetings: in 2026 and 2027 we will host meetings in Romania, Switzerland, Latvia, Germany, the Czech Republic, and the United Kingdom. BPS has participated in agency workshops and public comment processes on data-sharing policies and research reproducibility, and Ambassadors help inform those efforts by sharing international norms and challenges.
All of these multi-scale efforts happen because people come together to work at larger scale. But if that doesn’t fit your schedule right now, there are smaller things you can do that are still meaningful. Spend five minutes a day calling your elected representative (using the 5 Calls app and/or the BPS Take Action tool [www.biophysics.org/policy-advocacy/take-action] makes this easy and provides short scripts for calls). Check out the full BPS Advocacy Toolkit (www.biophysics.org/policy-advocacy/advocacy-toolkit), where there are tips on communicating your science to nonscientists and Congress. Under “Communicating Your Science” you will also find links to previous webinars full of information and advice.
Also, do not pass up the opportunity to have a conversation with a neighbor about vaccines or medical research. Even if this one conversation does not change someone’s mind, the simple act of listening and connecting builds trust. A moving essay published in The New York Times recently about an immunologist who grew up unvaccinated articulates the emotional complexities around which vaccine decisions are made by some (Marnik, E. 2026. I grew up unvaccinated. Now I’m an immunologist. The New York Times, February 27, 2026. www.nytimes.com/2026/02/27/opinion/growing-up-unvaccinated.html). Why did this immunologist grow up unvaccinated? Because her mother loved her. And years later, why did the immunologist vaccinate her own child? Because she loved him. Even though data is the currency we use with each other in our scientific endeavors, the lesson here is that the road to persuasion is not paved by dictatorial fiat or bombardment by facts. Rather, the secret is to keep the conversation going so that you will be persuasive when the moment presents itself.
Finally, if your schedule is completely insane right now and you have time for nothing but keeping your head above water, a small but mighty contribution you can make is to renew your BPS membership every year, because this simple act provides critical support for the Society’s advocacy efforts.
In the spirit of Margaret Mead: remember that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens—scientists included—can change the world. Our individual efforts and collective actions are how we do this. My “ask” to you is: How will you be an advocate for science?
—Karen G. Fleming, President