Brown graduate student Torrey Truszkowski was among 20 young researchers who met with lawmakers in Washington, D.C., Thursday to talk science and science policy.

PROVIDENCE, R.I. [Brown University] — Brown graduate student Torrey Truszkowski was among 20 young scientists who participated in a day-long visit to Capitol Hill sponsored by the American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology’s (ASBMB).

On Thursday, June 11, 2015, the “Hill Day” program, now in its seventh year, gave researchers a chance to tell members of Congress about their work, its importance to the nation, and the role of federal support in bringing improvements to the American quality of life.

“I attended Hill Day because I believe that we (scientists) can make a difference in the legislative process by connecting personal stories to statistics,” Truszkowski said. “We primarily went to advocate for increased funding and support for biomedical research, especially basic science. By meeting with the Rhode Island members of Congress, I helped them understand the importance of basic science research and I learned to better communicate my research.”

Truszkowski visited the offices of U.S. Sen. Jack Reed and U.S. Rep. Jim Langevin, who gave her a shout-out on Twitter.

While meeting the delegation was the main goal, Truszkowski said meeting her peers was valuable, too. “I really enjoyed discussing my research and building a new network of colleagues with similar interest in science advocacy,” she said.