Category: Advocacy
Fishing for Change: How Fish Tanks and Textbooks Taught Me to Fall in Love with Science (and Discover its Flaws)
Jeromy DiGiacomo: "I hope my story can highlight that in all its objectivity, the STEM community is not immune to prejudice or discrimination and that we have a lot of room to grow."
Humans of HBI: Stephanie Haro
Stephanie Haro: "I am a proud first- generation, Mexican-American, low-income college student from the community of Boyle Heights in Los Angeles, CA. Given my roots and the opportunities that have been provided to me by past and current institutions, I...
How Much Poop Does a Worm Make When They Only Eat Zuccchhiinnniii?
Vivekanand Pandey Vimal
The Role of Cystic Fibrosis in my Life
Ella Balasa: "It’s always challenging, daunting, but the reward of feeling being understood through words is liberating, fulfilling, and worth it at the end. That’s why I do it."
If You Give An Artist A Data Sheet…
Maya Sokolow: "What I began to understand that day on St. John was that science needs to be experienced, lived, and felt. For those who do not have the opportunity to have feet on the field or in the classroom,...
Keep Pushing Forward
Hello! My name is Barakat Oyiza Abubakar. I am a 14 year old girl from a family of 6. I live with my mum and 5 siblings in Abuja, Nigeria. I would tell other girls that no matter the situation...
Alice Augusta Ball: Chemical Drug Pioneer
Historians of African-Americans in science tend to focus on figures like Benjamin Banneker and George Washington Carver. But there are so many more.
On Being Queer in STEM
Ive Velikova hosts Science With Ive, an educational YouTube channel that tackles quirky science questions. Her curiosity and evidence-based research lets you laugh and learn alongside her with each video. The story below was originally published on Sister, a new media platform aimed...
From Juvenile Detention to Neuroscience
Raul Ramos shared his inspiring personal journey into science with high school students from Waltham High School as part of the series, The Brandeis MRSEC and WHS present: Science Pizza Talks. AAAS provided additional support for this event.
Loss, Love, and Science
Dr. Asuri is a Health Policy Analyst and Health Researcher at BC Public Service in Canada. She is a bio-medical scientist by training. She has experienced the thrill of directly watching human cells divide and has observed changes in patient...
Never Cease from Exploring
Dr. Caroline S. Turner: "Indeed, the journey toward accomplishment and achievement in any endeavor is not done in isolation but with the support of others willing to travel with you, providing encouragement along each step of the journey, helping you...
Barriers Are Meant To Be Broken
Taylor Richardson: "But here I am and what I know is that I want to be, no scratch that, I will be a scientist, engineer and an astronaut. I know that everything that has happened to me in my past...
You’re the Surgeon?
Dr. Qaali Hussein: "Despite my academic standing and extracurricular activities, my pursuit of surgery has always been received as an improbable endeavor. A hijab wearing Muslim girl was nobody’s idea of what a surgeon should be. And when I did...
How My PhD Training is Empowering Me
Teresa Ambrosio: "I wasn’t aware I was suffering from depression for so long and I blamed chemistry for missing out on all the other aspects of life. I suddenly realized that my whole world was my 1x2 square meter desk...
A Science Outreach Story
Claudia Gisela Willmes - I enjoyed helping students understand the importance of animal research and to challenge their assumptions about the kind of experiments that scientists conduct.
Science and Hope
Far from finding understanding for my passion for science, I found scientists who tried to discourage me. Each "no" was another incentive to work harder and show them that my passion was greater than their negative comments.
Science is Sharing Cups of Tea
How does one learn to lead? One learns to lead organically by watching penguins, spending days together at sea, having critical conversations, and sharing cups of tea. Because, science, belief in ourselves and others, and caring should flow and be...
Can You Ever Escape Your Personal and Scientific Bubbles?
I’ve wanted desperately from early on to have a straightforward path. I imagined that everyone knew what they were supposed to be doing professionally, and that they were surely great at it. Everyone but me. I always thought that I...
Moments: My Daughter’s Journey in Science as a Father
People always ask me how my daughter Amoy got into science. My first thought typically: "Is there an actual event that I can pinpoint?" Was there one particular thing I could isolate and say, "this was the moment." There were definitely several defining moments I can think back to. Moments like...
Warm Waters and White Sand Beaches: My Journey Studying Human Impacts on the Ocean
I am a climate scientist, with one foot in the modern ocean trying to understand impacts on California species and ecosystems, and one foot in the past, probing the paleoclimate world for lessons we can learn.
Understanding by Doing
Tyler J. Ford: Now that I’ve got my PhD, and I’ve been working in a science communication position for a few years, I’m often asked how I “ended up” in SciComm. The first thing to point out is that I...
Everything Starts with a Dream
In this camp, there were students from different ages and nationalities. We were trained for an international competition, called Rover Challenge, organized by NASA, for which we had to build a Rover and drive it on a road with obstacles...
My Journey Coming Out of the Deep Dark Ditch of “publish or perish”
This is my story – the story of going through a tremulous phase of my life during which I lost faith in science and myself, but eventually regained it.
My Science Love Story
Picture it. 1996. I was working as an admin at a research center in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada. In addition to being the coffee-maker extraordinaire, I autoclaved agar, washed Erlenmeyer flasks, and I ordered lab supplies.
Perseverance to Passion
In my life, perseverance is growing up in the inner city of Flint, Michigan. Gangs, violence, and drugs were part of everyday life. I’ve seen someone being run down by a car, shot in the head, and been shot at...
Hispaniola Born Earthbound Explorer
I thought my biggest role in life was to become a wife and mother. As such, I ended up in a very toxic marriage right out of high school. I left the marriage and I ultimately became homeless. I actually...
Finding My Path in STEM
Ever noticed yourself living your dreams, or so you thought, only to realize it was a farce all along? That is the summary of my life. Well, until three months ago.
Breaking Through My Glass Ceiling…Twice
I was not born a scientist nor was I born with the knowledge that I would one day be a L’Oréal-UNESCO For Women in Science Laureate in France. However, I attained these achievements through maintaining curiosity, making difficult choices, sustaining...