Supporting science through advocacy and community building

We are in the midst of one of the most challenging times in memory for American science. Like you, I have witnessed with great concern the tide of actions threatening the U.S. scientific enterprise, which for more than 80 years has been an essential American pillar of national and local economic strength, better treatments and cures

Matt Herp

Joan Conaway, president of ASBMB, gives opening remarks at ASBMB’s 2025 annual meeting in Chicago.

Recent actions include slashing federal agency grants, budgets and staff as well as mandates that cut at the heart of scientific progress, transparency and workforces. Over the last five months, ASBMB and its allies have been working tirelessly to reach Congress and the administration to communicate the enormous harms, urging them to reverse the dismantling of the nation’s research and innovation enterprise. In May, ASBMB and allied societies also filed a “friend of the court” brief in a major lawsuit, articulating our strong objection to the termination of the Maximizing Opportunities for Scientific and Academic Independent Careers, or MOSAIC, grants and affirming the tremendous value of diverse perspectives in science.

ASBMB updates its advocacy action center regularly with the latest news, actions and opportunities to mobilize, and I encourage you to visit often. It also highlights vital partners, including Research!America, the Coalition for the Life Sciences, the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology and the American Association for the Advancement of Science, ensuring we work as one with voices from basic scientists, industry, patient advocates and more. In May, ASBMB members convened in Washington, D.C., for the society’s annual Capitol Hill Day, where volunteers and staff visited 60 congressional offices to advocate for federal funding and grants supporting young scientists.

While visiting Capitol Hill is important, scientists need to think about what we can do regularlyif we are to make a difference, and ASBMB is here to help. It is vital that policymakers hear directly from constituents and your institutions about how these federal actions and cuts negatively affect the nation and your communities.

Here’s how you can act now and support these efforts:

• Write to your lawmaker and urge them to reject the proposed cuts and policy changes at U.S. science agencies and reaffirm their support for biomedical research.
• Spread the word on your social media platforms.
• Request a local Congressional meeting and prepare for it.
• Share your story. You can do this through ASBMB’s formal campaign site, and we will assemble them for future use. You can also share your story locally — with neighbors, friends and others who need to understand the impact of science in your local community.

ASBMB will continue to create opportunities to amplify our voices. Together, scientists can help convey the immeasurable value of basic research and ways that science serves us all.

In these times, I want to stress another vital resource: ASBMB’s community. That powerful factor especially occurred to me as 2,800 of us gathered at ASBMB 2025, united by our passion for fundamental research. Memories of that meeting are a touchstone of hope and motivation. In particular, I think of Lawrence Tabak, winner of the 2025 Howard K. Schachman Public Service Award, who shared his deep concern for the scientific enterprise during the meeting. At the same time, he noted that science has faced adversity before, and we will reach a brighter day: “All hope is not lost. Whether you are a freshman in college, a professor emeritus or everyone in between, you have the power to do something proactively.”

I am confident that our community is part of what will get us through these challenging times. ASBMB advocacy joins other key facets of our work — celebrating and sharing outstanding science, highlighting translational applications, providing collegial support and committing to support future generations. I hope you will continue to engage with ASBMB, and each other, for this kind of support. Through our scientific work and our personal interactions, we can be an inspiration to each other.

As I said in Chicago, I am deeply grateful to be in a community of determined and curious people. Together, we must take action and maintain hope individually and collectively. Both are essential as we strive to catalyze the infinite potential of molecular life sciences and ensure that the long arc of science bends toward progress.