Senator Bennett (D-Champaign) will be giving a short lecture based on his experience working with scientists to craft legislation within the Illinois Senate. He will help explain how scientists are able to contribute their knowledge and research throughout the legislative process, followed by a short question and answer period. The public talk on the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign campus will be held on Thursday, July 13t h at 4:00 pm in the auditorium at the Beckman Institute, 405 N. Mathews, Urbana. The talk is open to the public.

Senator Bennett is the state senator from Illinois 52n d district representing Champaign and Vermillion counties. As vice chairman of the Senate Agriculture Committee he has been a tireless advocate for protecting local farmers and the environment. He has passed legislation to help protect the Mahomet aquifer and maintain clean drinking water for the area. He also serves on committees striving to improve higher education in Illinois, and has sponsored legislation to increase agricultural education.

The event is sponsored by the UIUC Science Policy Group (SPG). The SPG is a bipartisan collective of graduate students who are interested in creating opportunities for scientists to engage in the public policy discourse. The group has previously hosted several invited speakers and lectures for the campus community, including their bi-annual Call a Representative Day event hosted every spring and fall. The event will co-hosted by the Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology. The Beckman Institute is a worldwide leader in fostering interdisciplinary research in engineering, and physical and biological sciences.

For more information, contact us at spg.uiuc@gmail.com