Resources For Practitioners

Being Human in STEM

For students and faculty – An initiative that aims to foster a more inclusive, supportive STEM community by helping students, faculty, and staff collaboratively develop a framework to understand and navigate diverse identities in the classroom, lab, and beyond.

Ciencia Puerto Rico (CienciaPR)

Anonprofit organization made up of individuals committed to advancing the sciences in Puerto Rico and promoting dissemination, education, and scientific careers. With the help of the vast network of members and collaborators, CienciaPR has implemented a series of initiatives such as formal and informal education, support and mentoring for students, scientists, entrepreneurs and innovators, and provides support in scientific public policy. For more information and to become a member, visit their website here.

STEM Study Groups:

Role Models

Lathisms An organization created to increase the visibility of Latinx/Hispanic mathematicians.

Slideshow highlighting Black scientists and engineers.

More Resources

Ohio Organizations

  • The Ohio Academy of Science was founded in 1891 to promote science and science education
    in Ohio. The Academy conducts numerous pre-college student-programs to encourage STEM
    education and to provide venues where student-scientists can interact with other students and
    scientists from across Ohio. In addition, OAS hosts an Annual Meeting and publishes a scientific
    journal The Ohio Journal of Science that focuses on the science being done in Ohio, as well as
    the science that is directly impacting Ohio. Please join us in supporting science and science
    education in Ohio.
  • Believe in Ohio is a free, comprehensive, curriculum-based, STEM and entrepreneurship
    program for Ohio students. The purpose of the Believe in Ohio program is to create a “Culture of
    Innovation” in Ohio high schools and provide college scholarships to encourage Ohio students
    to remain in Ohio by focusing on the practical application of STEM and related fields and the
    development of an entrepreneurial mindset and critical thinking skills.
  • Ohio Stem Learning Network is more than a network that only assists in starting up STEM
    schools. OSLN has evolved to a network that leverages existing STEM schools and programs to
    spread effective practices and tools across the state and the nation. We support the growth and
    quality of STEM education in Ohio by: Connecting the best STEM schools, teachers, and
    administrators to each other and to national resources, Assisting schools and communities that
    want to create new STEM schools and programs, and Driving STEM innovations through a
    network approach.
  • The OSLN Central Ohio STEM Action Center is the nuclei of regional STEM Activity. They
    facilitate partnerships that amplify and accelerate existing STEM programs within the region.
    They share resources with regional STEM collaborators, including Ohio’s 26 K-8 STEM
    Programs of Excellence, and facilitate partnerships with local entities representing K-12, higher
    education, community, and business. Each hub leverages these relationships to connect and
    spread STEM efforts throughout its region. Anyone from educational institutions, businesses,
    government entities, community organizations, and the media can become involved with the
    OSLN Central Ohio STEM Action Center and STEM education.
  • Ohio Science Olympiad allows students in grades 6-12 to demonstrate their skills in science,
    technology, engineering, and math (STEM). Ohio ranks seventh in the country for the overall
    number of student participants. Ohio Science Olympiad is a chapter of Science Olympiad a
    national nonprofit organization whose mission is to: Improve the quality of science education,
    Increase interest in science, Attract more students to science careers, Foster teamwork,
    Emphasize the problem-solving aspects of science, and Develop a technologically literate
    workforce.
  • STEM Pathways Programs in science, technology, engineering, and math improve participants’
    curiosity, logical thinking, problem-solving, and team communication – workforce skills
    necessary to compete in a high-tech global society. The STEM Pathways equation is simple
    Engagement + Problem Solving = Learning. Each of the twelve STEM Pathways Challenges in
    the first curriculum cycle focuses on a Real-World Problem that tasks young people to use the
    scientific method or engineering design process to come up with a plausible solution. The
    ultimate goal is for STEM Pathways to propel young people’s interest on a career path in STEM.
    In addition, youth’s curiosity, courage, perseverance, teamwork, creativity, communication, and
    critical thinking skills will be enhanced through their involvement in STEM Pathways.

Video Resources

We have compiled some videos that address the multiple benefits to diversifying STEMM. Check them out!

Check out Background to Breakthrough here. It is a series of short films that highlight scientists whose diverse backgrounds and perspectives spurred insights and innovations.

Browse a collection of CFAES Diversity, Equity and Inclusion video resources: Webinars, Inclusive Excellence in Hiring and YouTube channel

An individual’s cultural identification affects many areas of his or her life and career. This is certainly true in the context of a career in biomedical research. On the one hand, cultural diversity can help bring new insights to the biomedical sciences through the convergence of differing perspectives approaching the same research questions or problems, which can in turn lead to research that can positively impact diverse communities. On the other hand, some dynamics, like implicit bias and stereotype threat, can hinder the success of rising scholars from underrepresented backgrounds in the biomedical sciences. Learn about these phenomena, and NRMN Culturally Aware Mentorship (CAM) training curricula, which are designed to explore and dissect these issues towards a more inclusive and productive climate for biomedical research that welcomes and supports the engagement of researchers from all U.S. populations.

NRMN is a nationwide consortium of biomedical professionals and institutions collaborating to provide enhanced networking, professional development, research resources and mentorship experiences.

While diversity takes work, it is in the best interest of science—and society—to create a bigger us. Diverse teams have been shown to be more innovative and productive. In this video, Maggie Werner-Washburne shares examples and strategies to make a bigger us and build a more diverse and inclusive scientific community that can help find the best solutions to the hard problems our world faces.

 

In this video, David Burgess describes the National Research Mentoring Network (NRMN), an NIH-funded initiative created to support the training and career development of individuals from groups traditionally underrepresented in the biomedical, behavioral, clinical and social science research careers. NRMN will provide resources to enable mentees across career stages, as well as mentors, to engage in productive, supportive and culturally responsive mentoring relationships.

Ben Barres gives advice on how to pick a graduate advisor. He strongly suggests picking an advisor who is not only a good scientist, but also a good mentor. In this talk, he describes a mentor’s qualities and attributes, and gives suggestions on how to identify an advisor who will be a good mentor.