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Sixteen Doctoral Students Lobby on Capitol Hill

April 21, 2025

By Katya Hrichak

Cornell doctoral students with Representative Josh Riley outside the Capitol
Doctoral students participating in Cornell Advocacy Day met with Rep. Josh Riley, representative for New York’s 19th District. Photo: Cornell Office of Federal Relations.

The annual Cornell Ph.D. Student Advocacy Day took on extra significance this year as 16 doctoral students traveled from the Ithaca campus and Weill Cornell Medicine in New York City to Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C. on April 9 to meet with Congress members and their staff.

Students emphasized the importance of federal funding in enabling access to graduate education and advancement of critical research in the context of ongoing cuts to federal grant funding from agencies such as the National Institutes of Health and the Department of Energy. Among others, students met with Rep. Melanie Stansbury, M.S. ’07, representative for New Mexico’s 1st District, and Rep. Josh Riley, representative for New York’s 19th District.

“This year, Advocacy Day was especially important, because it allowed us to communicate to members of Congress how changes in funding disrupt lifesaving medical research and revolutionary research into the mitigation of carbon emissions, for example,” said Adam Zuchowski, a doctoral student in biomedical engineering.

Three Graduate School doctoral candidates and one Weill Cornell student who participated in Advocacy Day were also selected to attend the American Association for the Advancement of Science Catalyzing Advocacy in Science and Engineering (AAAS CASE) Workshop April 6-9 in Washington. There, the students learned more about communicating and advocating as scientists, the inner workings of Congress and roles of staffers, and the policy work of federal agencies.

“The workshop also gave background on how research in higher education and politics and federal funding have been linked for the last several decades and how the relationship developed and has evolved,” said Hannah Frank, a doctoral candidate in horticulture. “This history, along with the transparent perspective of the people that run AAAS and have been in the science policy world for some time, really helped me approach my advocacy work with an important context.”

Cornell doctoral students with Representative Melanie Stansbury outside the Capitol
Doctoral students participating in Cornell Advocacy Day met with Rep. Melanie Stansbury, M.S. ’07, representative for New Mexico’s 1st District. Photo: Cornell Office of Federal Relations.

“Having attended this workshop I feel far more equipped to continue advocating for my research and for things that are so important and at risk,” she said.

During AAAS CASE, students also learned about the federal budget process, the structure of Congress, the policymaking process, and effective communication of science and research to policymakers.

Many staff and members of Congress encouraged the students to continue their advocacy.

“A Ph.D. should generate knowledge and deliver impact. If our findings stay locked in journals and conference presentations, society loses the full value of its investment in research. By stepping into policy spaces, scientists can help craft legislation that strengthens education, fuels innovation, and improves lives—outcomes that no single paper can achieve on its own,” said Mohammed AlRizqi, a doctoral student in mechanical engineering. “Advocacy Day reminded me that informed, respectful conversations can bridge the gap between the lab bench and the lawmaker’s desk, turning scientific insight into societal progress.”

Advocacy Day was co-organized by the Office of Federal Relations, the Graduate School’s Careers Beyond Academia program in the Office of Career and Professional Development, and Weill Cornell Graduate School.

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