Editor: Erin Pallott
Things might be slowing down in preparation for Christmas closures, but many are still passionately working on their side projects. In this edition, we have some great examples of projects focusing on the inclusivity of underrepresented backgrounds in education and research.
Matthew Sinton
In 2019, we started The STEM Village as a way of increasing visibility for LGBTQ+ people working in different areas of STEM. The name came about from the idea of gay villages, which were traditionally areas of cities that provided safe spaces for the LGBTQ+ community. Our aim is to create a community, where LGBTQ+ people feel able to be open about their identity and share their work with the wider STEM community. Over the years, this has really developed, and we’ve run a lot of events, including a global symposium, which was endorsed by the Scottish Government. With Juan Quintana (Lydia Becker, UoM) and Alex Cocker (Imperial College, London), we have also developed a long-standing immunology seminar series, where LGBTQ+ immunologists from around the world have been presenting their research to the wider immunology community. This has been a wonderful series, giving people the opportunity to share their research, and to connect with other researchers around the world.
It’s been so successful, that we’re planning an in-person immunology symposium on November 18th 2024, which is the International Day of Pride in STEM. We’re holding this meeting in Manchester, and we’re going to invite LGBTQ+ immunologists to present their work, through talks and posters. We’re also really keen to point out that this event is also for the wider immunology community. We hope that immunologists from across the UK, whether they’re LGBTQ+ or not, come along and participate. It’s going to be a day of cutting-edge research talks and networking in, what will be an open and welcoming environment. We’d really appreciate it if you could also help us with our planning by filling out this survey, to indicate whether this is an event you’d be likely to attend. It’s only 2 questions and will take around 30 seconds to fill in.
If you’d like any more information about The STEM Village, or you’d like to get involved, you can check out our website or you can drop me an email: matthew.sinton@manchester.ac.uk.
Rebecca Dodd
In2Science is a UK-based charity that aims to give young people from low-income or disadvantaged backgrounds practical experience in the STEM sector. In August, I hosted 5 students from across Manchester and showed them a typical week as a post-doc in an academic research lab. The students got stuck in with lab work, performing H&E stains on lung tissue, running qPCR (with impressive accuracy) and SDS-PAGE gels. We also had discussions about the use of animals in scientific research and studying for a degree. The questions they asked were so insightful – it was a nice reminder of how varied and interesting a career in research could be. In2Science are recruiting now for next year’s volunteers (placements usually take place in August), so if you are willing to share your experience of research, I’d highly recommend getting involved!
Erin Pallott
In October, I started as a mentor in the Brilliant Club’s new programme Join the Dots. This programme pairs PhD students with undergraduate students from underrepresented backgrounds, to help mentor them through their transition from college to university. Through 1-1 and group sessions, I have been helping 8 undergraduates focus on study skills and adapting to self-study timetables.
This is a great new initiative and something I feel very passionate about. I have long noticed that many programmes are helping students access university, but then they are mostly left on their own which can be an extremely daunting transition, especially if you don’t know anyone else starting university. I’m so happy to be providing a personalised support system that I didn’t have the opportunity to access when I started my undergraduate degree. If you are interested in taking part in the next academic year, you can find more information here.
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