Broaden Participation of Underrepresented Groups

Working on Books for Teenage Girls
We are working with the hugely talented author and freelance writer (Francesca Moisin) to produce two books targeted at teenage girls profiling i) one dozen women behavioral ecologists and ii) one dozen women marine ecologists, the amazing research that they do and their positive experiences in the field. If you would be interested in being profiled in one of these books please reach out to us. These books will be timely, given recent bad press surrounding women’s experiences in the field. The books will join a number of books, targeted at various ages, highlighting women role models, but will be unique in their emphasis on field biologists.

Collaborating with the Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship Program
We regularly work with the NSF-funded Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship Program (SURF) at BU, either by providing BU ambassadors or by hosting students from outside of BU. The program is designed to promote access to graduate education for talented undergraduate students, especially those from minority groups, traditionally underrepresented in the sciences. The program consists of ten weeks of full-time research in a Boston University lab. The program provides on-campus housing, a stipend, weekly enrichment activities, social events, and an October weekend trip to present findings at the Boston University Undergraduate Research Symposium.

Collaborating with Science Club For Girls
We regularly collaborate with Science Club For Girls (SCFG), providing high school girls from groups underrepresented in STEM an opportunity to gain first-hand experience in scientific research. The shared aims of the Buston Lab and SCFG are to get the students excited about science, increase their belief in their own ability to do science, and make them aware of career opportunities. One of our most recent interns, Jameelah Julien, developed an elevator pitch as part of her internship, which can be seen here. SCFG assesses the programs impact and some of their findings are published on the SCFG website.