Thank you so much for being among the first supporters of our new project, Innovations in Science! We are proud to be building infrastructure for quality local science journalism, centered around the communities that house research institutions.

You can read the first article our co-founder Roy Allen wrote for Innovations in Science that started it all here, and check out the rest that have been published so far here.

How we got here

A little over a year ago, hundreds of researchers across the United States published pieces in local newspapers introducing themselves as scientists and the relevance of their science to their hometown communities as part of the McClintock Letters initiative.

At that time, the massive disruptions to the U.S. scientific research infrastructure were just beginning, though already unprecedented in scale and scope. Most people paid it little mind, because they were never given a reason to care.

For most, science happened invisibly, largely divorced from the humanity of the people who did it: an unseen force of intellect, passion, and curiosity locked away in ivory towers, behind paywalls, and clouded with indecipherable jargon. It reared its head to issue edicts like food recalls, lockdowns, vaccination mandates, and other fearsome decrees.

The McClintock Letters began to challenge that isolation by introducing people who might not otherwise encounter science to their neighbors behind the research.

Innovations in Science was born of the ethos underlying the massive effort of the McClintock Letters: a firmly held belief in the importance of continually building connections between scientists and their communities &mdash and in the essential role independent local newspapers can play in making those connections. We want to give people a chance to get to know the scientists in their community and to have access to quality information about the research and discoveries happening in their own neighborhood, supported by their tax dollars.

Our plan to make science a better neighbor

We will provide the resources necessary for independent local newspapers to publish regular Innovations in Science articles, beginning with our work in Ithaca, NY. We are also developing a network of researchers and local journalists trained to communicate and write accurately and engagingly about science. Articles will be accompanied by podcasts and video interviews that can bring these conversations to a wider audience while directing attention back to local reporting.

Stemming from a partnership between biologist Emma Scales and community publisher Roy Allen, the vision for Innovations in Science was mapped with input from much of the same team at the Scientist Network for Advancing Policy (SNAP) Coalition, who organized the McClintock Letters in 2025. By thoughtfully approaching how best to continue the legacy of such an impactful initiative, we hope that Innovations in Science will grow into an integral piece of a sustainable solution to science’s broader communication problem.

Through this monthly newsletter, we will keep you up to date with the latest updates from Innovations in Science: when training becomes available for scientists and local science journalists, when we expand the framework we’re building here in Ithaca, N.Y. to digital platforms and other regional hub cities, and hopefully much more.

We'll also use this space to share what's happening in the broader landscape of local science communication. We'll highlight programs at research institutions around the country that are making an effort to communicate locally, discuss the local journalism ecosystem and the challenges it faces, and share insights and reflections on what has&mdash and hasn't&mdash worked.

For today, we’ll share Roy’s first Innovations in Science article, outlining the passion behind this project and the necessity of local science coverage.

We hope you stick around to see our growth, and thank you again for coming along on this journey to making science a better neighbor. Those of you who indicated your interest in participating more directly in the project will be hearing from us soon!

Yours,

Emma, Roy, & the Innovations in Science team