Stephen Roberson has talked with congressional staffers many times about the importance of expanding access to physics for underrepresented groups.
“Advocacy is important to me because it gives me a chance to represent the views of our community in the halls of power, where our unique point of view is not usually heard or considered,” says Roberson, president of the National Society of Black Physicists, and an APS member.
In his advocacy role, he supported workforce development programs that help broaden participation in the U.S. domestic STEM workforce, ensuring that individuals from underrepresented communities can enter and sustain a career in the field. In acknowledgement of this advocacy, APS has named Roberson a 2024 5 Sigma Physicist honoree.
The 5 Sigma Physicist honor recognizes APS members who demonstrated substantial, impactful advocacy actions with APS Government Affairs. Joining Roberson are 13 other honorees: Jacqueline Acres, Sachin Satish Bharadwaj, Mark Gyure, Joe Haley, Beverly Karplus Hartline, George Herbert, Arihant Jain, Young-Kee Kim, Brad Marston, William Munizzi, John Stupak III, Washington Taylor, and Jonathan Wurtele.
“Being involved in advocacy is one of the most patriotic things I have done in my life,” says Roberson. “Advocating for legislation to make society more fair and balanced — when for centuries it was not — is my small effort to form a more perfect union for ourselves and our children.”
In fact, says Roberson, this is consistent with a classic science lesson: “Physics teaches us that it takes unbalanced forces to move or change systems from their current states, and that's what advocacy is in this society.”
The other honorees also made great strides in advocacy. Beverly Karplus Hartline wrote four letters to the editor in local newspapers, advocating for robust science funding — the most letters among APS members participating in an advocacy campaign last spring.
“I was totally surprised,” she says. Her letters to the editor were published in the Montana Standard and Billings Gazette, also in Montana, as well as in the Ellsworth American and the Bangor Daily News, both in Maine.
“The people in decision-making positions need to hear from their constituents, because they represent us,” Hartline says. “The colleges, universities, students, faculty, and communities in Montana have benefited enormously over the years from federal research funds.”
For example, Hartline says federal science funding has led to optics startups near Bozeman, biomedicine ventures near Missoula, and environmental and nanoscience research projects near Butte. In Maine, the University of Maine and major research institutions such as Jackson Lab and Mount Desert Island Biological Lab rely on sustained federal funding, she adds.
APS Government Affairs staff supported the honorees’ advocacy efforts with training, policy briefings, and a platform that allows them to contact their congressional delegation.
“These honorees lead by example,” says Charlotte Selton, member advocacy and mobilization manager for APS. “Without volunteers like them dedicating their time and speaking out for our community, APS would not be able to have the impact we do on federal science policy.”
Visit APS’ Action Center to contact your elected representative on science policy issues, or learn more about the 5 Sigma Physicist honorees.