Trinity Mathematics in Washington, DC

In January, a full week before spring classes began at Trinity University, Eddy Kwessi, Ph.D., packed a bag and headed north to Washington, D.C., already hard at work advocating for science and math funding on behalf of students in San Antonio and across the country.

Kwessi was part of almost two dozen math professors from Texas, who joined forces with nearly 300 mathematical scientists from 47 states and 176 political districts to visit their representatives and senators on Capitol Hill. 

The mathematical scientists represented multiple national societies, including Kwessi’s group, the American Mathematical Society (AMS), the National Science Foundation (NSF), the National Institutes of Health, and the Consortium for Mathematics and its Applications. Most had traveled to DC for the 2026 Joint Mathematics Meeting Conference earlier that week. Kwessi attended as this year’s representative of Trinity’s mathematics department, whose faculty customarily participate in the conference. New this year was the collective visit to the Hill to emphasize the importance of science to our elected officials. 

The mathematicians from Texas, including Kwessi, visited the offices of Senators John Cornyn and Ted Cruz, meeting with staff at both, and then split up by congressional district to visit representatives. Kwessi’s group visited the offices of Representatives Ronny Jackson, Lloyd Doggett, Dan Crenshaw, and Chip Roy, highlighting the importance of science funding and sharing the direct impact of funding freezes or cuts on their research and teaching.

The staff were “very receptive, regardless of their political leanings, and easy to talk to. They all promised to share our concerns (with) their bosses and even encouraged us to call them back to find out if the needle had moved,” Kwessi said. 

Kwessi’s own research has been supported by NSF and AMS grants, which have been instrumental in advancing his work. In turn, Kwessi has benefited Trinity students across disciplines, as his mathematical research intersects with a variety of fields, including neuroscience and ecology. On the Hill in January, the topic of math serving as a critical foundation to nearly every STEM field permeated discussions. 

In just one day, the group conducted more than 270 conversations with representatives and their staff, filling the halls with dialogue, sharing their values and needs, and coming to a better understanding about how federal policies impact the broader STEM ecosystem in the United States and how mathematics drives innovation across disciplines of science, technology, education, and the economy. “Investing in the sciences means investing in students’ futures and the nation’s”, Kwessi said.  

The visit reinforced the importance of creating opportunities for researchers and policymakers to interact directly to facilitate shared understanding. 

“It was a great experience meeting others who were as passionate as I am for science, education, and learning,” Kwessi said.