Additional Resources
At The Social Scientist, we want to provide the means to help you with career, interest and life advice in the STEM fields. Here are additional resources that we personally advocate for in order to provide a supportive community for your needs.
Algerian Women In Science (ALWIS) is a community dedicated to mentor future Algerian women leaders in STEM and help them to advance their careers. ALWIS proposes an online presence for mentoring and events in order to be accessible to Algerian women in science globally and without language barrier. We also focus on building partnerships to create opportunities to our members and engage them.
MASS AWIS and Central MASS AWIS are the Massachusetts Chapter of the National Association for Women in Science (AWIS), a non-profit organization. Our mission, like the National AWIS, is to support women in all scientific fields and to achieve equity and full participation for women in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM). By breaking down barriers and creating opportunities, AWIS strives to ensure that women in these fields can achieve their full potential. MASS AWIS events are for networking, learning and fun. Whatever you do, you can be a role model and find one in our chapter! Come to our events and make some connections!!
Cosplay for Science is a nonprofit educational initiative dedicated to making science accessible through cosplay. We aim to lower perceived barriers between scientists and the public, effectively communicate science through the lens of popular culture, and to subsequently demonstrate the efficacy of our science communication initiatives through data collection, research, and published results.
A new initiative at Harvard University sponsored by the Amgen Foundation, LabXchange plans to build community around the teaching and learning of science through our free, open online platform for global science education. The platform—which launches in Fall 2019—not only integrates the best of digital instruction and interactivity, but also connects students, teachers, and alumni in an online learning community for sharing and collaboration. With an initial focus on the life sciences and related fields, LabXchange is building an intergenerational learning platform that integrates digital curricular content, dynamic experimental simulations and social networking—all to better expose students of varying backgrounds to the authentic and engaging experience of scientific discovery.
The National Research Mentoring Network (NRMN) is an NIH grant-funded initiative whose entire purpose is to diversify the STEM workforce. We do this by providing researchers across all career stages in the biomedical, behavioral, clinical, and social sciences field with evidence-based mentorship and professional development programming that emphasizes the benefits and challenges of diversity, inclusivity, and culture. Our program achieves that through mentorship, networking, and professional development through our online networking platform, MyNRMN, which has over 20,000 mentors and mentees.
Letters to a Pre-Scientist (LPS) connects student “pre-scientists” with real scientist mentors as pen pals. During our year-long program, pairs develop a relationship through eight snail mail letters that discuss college, STEM careers, and foster student curiosity and belonging in science while practicing writing during science class. Students in low-income schools often lack access to STEM role models, and many have internalized the harmful stereotype that scientists are white men who do chemistry. We believe this narrow vision of what a scientist looks like and does at work prevents many students from seeing science as an interesting subject and a serious career option. Our mission is to demystify STEM careers to empower all students see themselves as future scientists.
Fear of stigma and isolation prevent academics from seeking help – PhD Balance is working to empower the Higher Ed community to talk openly about mental health issues in Higher Education. By sharing stories on Instagram and Twitter at @PhD_Balance of Academics overcoming mental health issues, we are building a diverse, international community that believes emotional well-being is a component of health and performance. We want to create a world in which academics can seek out help for their mental health just as easily as they do for their physical health and educational growth. Learn more at www.phdbalance.com.
Lauren Celano is the Co-founder and CEO of Propel Careers and has helped thousands of students, postdocs, and professionals advance their careers. Propel Careers is a relationship driven organization passionate about developing future and current leaders in the life sciences and related industries. Lauren routinely speak at universities, postdoctoral institutions, and industry conferences throughout the United States and Canada and coaches people on topics pertaining to career development and career opportunities for individuals with scientific and technical training. Propel also works with leading life sciences organizations to help them identify talent for a wide range of roles including research, bioinformatics/big data, clinical, regulatory, medical affairs, project management, HEOR, and business development. We believe in the mission of people and organizations working to improve medicine and healthcare and we operate with the intention of making the individual and organizations we work with stronger, more competitive, and more successful for being a part of the Propel Network. To learn more, visit: www.propelcareers.com.
Reclaim the Bench aims to amplify the voices and experiences of individuals and communities throughout history to the current day who have been historically excluded, marginalized, oppressed, and exploited in the fields of science and medicine. This encompasses a focus on “unsung heroes” from underrepresented groups who have made major, oft-unrecognized contributions to their fields; examples of exploitation or exclusion of communities of people in the pursuit of medical advancement; and the struggles and triumphs encountered today by members of such groups. We believe it is essential to understand the exclusionary legacy of medical science and patient care in order to move toward a more inclusive, and ultimately more successful, laboratory bench.
The Stem Advocacy Institute (SAI) is a non profit think tank and incubator which conducts research in-order to build new tools and insights to both understand and tackle fundamental issues of access in science education and communication. SAI envisions a future where there is universal and equitable access to science for all. Their core belief is that education with a strong foundation in science is a critical component for global economic growth, social advancement, and ultimately, global peace. Their work includes tools such as the Journal of Stories in Science, Her STEM Story Podcast, SciReach, and others that are in development. Their work has also been published in journals such as Science and Nature Biotechnology. To learn more, visit their site at www.stemadvocacy.org or contact them at scholarship@stemadvocacy.org.
Sci4Teens creates equal opportunities for students looking to pursue STEM, humanities, and science communication (SciComm) through our contests (involving writing, art, infographics, and more), workshops, and newsletter. We hope that through this organization, more teens will understand the importance of communicating their work, and can apply these skills in future careers.
The SciCommunity is a group of science communicators from around the world with the collective goal of spreading science, technology, engineering, the arts, and mathematics to as many people as possible. Our ever-growing community consists of experts from a multitude of different fields. Through collaboration, we take an interdisciplinary approach in communicating scientific concepts and topics in fun and innovative ways. Our current projects include the Nexus YouTube channel that showcases some of our members’ original educational series. We are also focused on networking both in person and through social media to learn from one another the most effective techniques to engage with as wide an audience as possible. We want to show everyone willing to listen that science is for everyone and that we are truly stronger together.
Scismic is a great resource for both the academic and industry setting and aims to make your lab selection and/or job hunt easier.
-
Lab Seeker provides feedback from current and past members in a lab. If you want to know if a lab is a good fit for you, this is a great resource.
-
Looking for an industry position? Job Seeker obtains openings directly from companies and will match positions based on your qualifications.
STEAMbridge aims to dismantle educational inequities in Cambridge, MA by connecting female students with mentors from renowned STEAM organizations in the city. This initiative aims to address the stark disparity between the abundance of resources in Cambridge and the insufficient educational opportunities by providing mentorship, support, and opportunities in STEM fields, to create a more equitable and inclusive educational landscape with a focus on empowering young women and non-binary high school students interested in STEAM.
STEAMunity is a platform to create a community of women in STEAM by amplifying their narratives, highlighting their journeys, inspirations, experiences and insights, and sharing them for the benefit of our wider community. A significant value we are trying to focus on revolves around the importance of representation in STEAM, to inspire young girls from underrepresented communities to pursue their passions in these fields. Join Us in supporting and empowering girls and women on their journey to pursue fulfilling careers In STEAM.
STEMS is a socio-enterprise offered as an educational program via STEMS (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics & Sign Language), committed to closing the exposure gap for underrepresented populations in the sign language community of learners, and dedicated to preparing students to work in STEM fields across industries. STEMS provides customized curricula and activities for classes, after-school programs, and community events. We have 16 volunteers on our Leadership Team. One of STEMS’s visions is to have bilingual and multicultural education programming which focuses on instruction in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics through American Sign Language and English. STEMS maintains a synergy between various deaf-related and non deaf-related organizations and raises awareness about heritage sign language.
The STEM Squad is a community of STEM professionals dedicated to the advancement and inclusion of those from traditionally marginalized backgrounds. We believe that STEM needs people from all backgrounds to represent the richness and diversity of society as a whole and that the rigor and quality of STEM endeavors will be improved as a result. To make incremental progress, our mission involves increasing representation of marginalized people in the public lens, financially supporting innovative projects for outreach and inclusion, and celebrating those who do this work both online and offline.
PhD Career Support Group (CSG) (www.stempeers.org) is a registered nonprofit in the US. Our organization aims to connect highly talented researchers from diverse nationalities on one social media platform. CSG primarily runs widely via its Facebook platform with currently 13,000+ members who are doctoral and postdoctoral researchers as well as alumni from 100+ top rated universities of the world. CSG’s organic growth has always been driven by the concept of diversity and inclusion. In this short span of three and a half years we have reached to a global audience, and almost run 24x7 with posts, discussion, newsletters, blogs, etc. We have helped create an emotional support system for STEM professionals globally which is probably unprecedented. We managed networking meetups around the world and a full one day global conference series, STEMPeers. We have created multiple platforms like Gurukool (peer-sourced mentorship initiative), The Science Times (Popular Science Communication initiative), Club SciWri (Science and News Blogging Initiative), and The STEMPeers Weeklies (Newsletter Initiative). Apart from these successful ventures, the discussions on the Facebook page have sparked several collaborations, independent entrepreneurial ventures and created innumerable friendships between members which couldn't have happened without this highly engaged interactive social network.
Straight From A Scientist bring updates on today's scientific research directly from the source through an easy and fun way. Our podcasts are based on 3 main 'I's: Inform, Inspire and Investigate. Our podcast records conversations about what’s happening in research laboratories right now. We strive to encourage and enable those who are scientifically inclined to further their exploration of science and we get our hands dirty with the nitty-gritty of how science is done, and why the methods matter so much when it's time to interpret the results. Getting your science straight from a scientist means it’s unadulterated, and free from alterations.
TelescopeGuide is your one-stop resource for getting started with telescopes & astronomy. Our goal is to spark a life-long passion for the wonder & beauty of the universe. Featuring education, inspiration, reviews, advice, and more. Our vision is to make it easier for people to start out and explore their growing interest in astronomy; provide high-quality resources for beginners to astronomy; and share thought-provoking articles to spark a continuing passion for the wonder & beauty of the universe.