Where can members of Congress, congressional staff, and members of the public go to videotape live water bears, get pictures of their own cheek cells, and test the latest in robotic limbs? The second annual Capitol Hill Life Science Fair and Reception, hosted on June 20, 2019, by the Coalition for the Life Sciences and the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology! There 13 participating life science organizations, universities, and societies offered more than 200 attendees the opportunity to engage with researchers, perform small experiments, experience eye disease through interactive goggles, learn about model organisms with exhibits of zebrafish and tardigrades, understand the importance and safety of vaccinating children, and much more. Plus attendees could leave with a necklace made of their own DNA.
The Capitol Hill Life Science Fair and Reception is a unique opportunity not only to showcase fun and interactive science but to make a strong case for federally funded research. The majority of the exhibitors are funded by the National Institutes of Health and the National Science Foundation. The event showcased the broad range of research taking place because of
this funding.
Organizations That Participated in the Science
Association of American Medical Colleges
American Association for Cancer Research
American Association of Immunologists
American Physiological Society
Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology
American Society for Cell Biology
Department of Embryology at Carnegie Science
The Jackson Laboratory
Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation
Society for Neuroscience
Society for Toxicology
University of California, San Francisco
University of Chicago
About the Author:
Lynn Marquis is Director of the Coalition for the Life Sciences.
