On our way to a legendary 2021…
It’s Fall! We made it. We are in the tenth month of 2021.
September was stupendous. Every month is amazing here at Science for Georgia because we have awesome people who work very hard to make science matter here.
We had a Food Insecurity Round table. Over 4 hours of Zoom (kudos to 20 people for sticking through that) we came up with some ideas to reduce food insecurity. We started with the goal of “How do we achieve a world where we don’t need SNAP or food banks?” and went from there.
State Sen Jones from the Georgia Senate Study Committee on Improving Access to Health Foods and Eliminating Food Deserts came for the last hour and we had a lively discussion about what the group found. We’ll be reporting out to that Committee in a few weeks. Read our report here.
A huge thank you to Inspire Brands Foundation for sponsoring this important work!
On the education and workforce front we’ve had some movement on the suggestions from the round table. We are currently speaking with multiple partners and legislators about the science of reading and the best way to get that implemented statewide.
We are very concerned about potential mining at the Okefenokee Swamp. For you non-native Georgians, it is a real place, despite our interns thinking I am hazing them. And the swamp needs our help to protecting it. Learn more and how you can get involved.
Exactly 18 months ago, on April 1, 2020, we became the Georgia affiliate of AAAS’s Local Science Engagement Network. Despite the world being on fire for a majority of these 18 months, AAAS LSEN’s generous funding has made possible:
- 11 interns
- Approximately 50 content pieces – including 2 legislative scorecards!
- Real progress on making sure science has a seat at the table during policymaking.
Finally I am super super excited that SciTober Fest is back. Oct 14! You can attend online or in person. Monday Night Brewing is generously providing a location (and a free beverage) and the first 200 to register get a Garnish & Gather Meal Kit. This event is hosted by our fabulous friends at IEEE, AWIS, and WIE. They are the best partners an organization could have and we can’t wait to celebrate science (and beer) with them and all of you!
Be there (and or be square on your computer), when we unveil our annual Legislative Scorecard.