The Abstract: April 2021
Welcome to The Abstract - your monthly round up of all the latest news from Youth STEM Matters, our youth-led scientific journal.
In April, our volunteers gained new skills at a science communication workshop, we interviewed Dr Natisha Dukhi, introduced our newest team members, and celebrated our Volunteer of the Month!
Building Skills in Science Communication
The Senior Science Communication Team at Youth STEM Matters - Meg Ardis, Lizzie Bourn and Éimear Stephenson - all had the opportunity to attend a half-day training workshop to build on their science communication skills. Run by award-winning Science Communicator, Festival Founder & Event Producer, Sam Langford, the workshop “An Introduction to Science Communication” covered topics including the different formats of science communication, tailoring an activity to the audience, and motivations for doing science communication.
Our team members gained a lot from attending, and Senior Journalist Lizzie Bourn said:
“The workshop was highly interactive with lots of group discussions including one about how to explain the internet to people living 2000 years ago! We learnt about what makes a good science communicator (and a bad one) as well as ways to make science communication both inclusive & accessible.”
The training has already been put into action by the Science Communication Team, so they can give youth an even better and more accessible platform here at Youth STEM Matters…
“Attending the training session has already helped us implement a new training programme for the SciComm Editors to improve the articles they write and their editing skills when reviewing external authors pieces. I will use what I have learnt during the training to aid the Editors when coming up with article ideas and writing pieces - to ensure they are not only scientifically accurate but tell the whole story and empower the reader.”
Interviewing Dr Natisha Dukhi
Several of our team members recently had the opportunity to interview Dr Natisha Dukhi, a Research Specialist at the Human Sciences Research Council (HSRC) in South Africa. The interview was led by Volunteer Team members Anna Zhang and Madeleine Perry, and was a vibrant conversation of all things public health, global issues, careers in STEM and more. We want to say a big thank you to Natisha for taking time out of her busy schedule to speak with our team!
The interview will be published in Youth STEM Matters in May 2021, but for now, here’s some behind the scenes insights from Youth STEM Matters Volunteers Anna Zhang and Arushi Rastogi…
On her experience of interviewing for the first time, Anna said:
“I was pleasantly surprised - learning from someone who had followed her compassion for others to journey through a whole career of accomplishments and challenges, empowered me and taught me the importance of resilience - I almost forgot I was interviewing her at times!”
And Arushi, who joined the interview, shared an insight into her experience…
“Getting to meet Dr. Dukhi was a tremendous pleasure. Amongst the various topics discussed the most memorable takeaway was the concept of keeping kindness, equality and empathy combined with hard work at the heart of whatever you do, shown by the way Dr. Dukhi spoke about her experiences and achievements.”
Introducing 17 New Team Members
This month, we introduced our 17 newest team members, who have been developing their skills through a series of training workshops since the start of March. They’re now starting their new roles, so if you’ve submitted an article to Youth STEM Matters, you might see them around, sharing guidance and advice to make your article the best it can be!
April 2021 Volunteer of the Month Recognised!
Congratulations to Éimear Stephenson who is the Volunteer of the Month for April 2021!
Éimear was recognised for outstanding outreach work to promote our upcoming Youth STEM Matters print edition. Her proactivity directly resulted in several submissions to the journal, creating opportunities for young people to have a platform to share their research, ideas and innovations. Across her time in the Youth STEM Matters Volunteer Team, Éimear has consistently volunteered to take on additional responsibilities, and readily gets involved in the wider team, going above and beyond her role as Senior Science Communication Editor. Congratulations Éimear!
“Volunteering at Youth STEM Matters has honestly been such a fun experience so far - one that’s genuinely impacted me on so many levels! I’ve gained invaluable skills and knowledge, and connected with so many like-minded youth. I’m so thankful to be part of such an amazing organisation, and to be considered Volunteer of the Month!”
