Engage with your academic and public communities:

• Reach out and speak to local communities (patient support groups and organizations, academic-community partnerships, graduate student and post-doc associations).
• Connect with your institution’s government relations office.
• Consider joining or starting a science policy group at your institution.
• Write op-eds for your local newspapers (use these AAAS tips on submitting an op-ed).
• Consider submitting a piece to the Journal of Science Policy & Governance, whose mission is to catalyze the engagement of students and early career researchers in science policy and governance.
• Write Letter-to-the-Editor, Comment or Perspective pieces in journals in your field.