Diversity, Equity, Inclusion
and Outreach
Improving DEI requires increasing access to education, making space for every personal experience, listening and considering individual barriers to success, and helping to remove these barriers. This requires establishing trusting and communicative relationships with the people from underrepresented groups in our communities.
Commitment to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
I am committed to promoting diversity, equity, and inclusion in the laboratory and the classroom. As a mentor, I strive to promote DEI in the lab by applying a holistic approach to recruit mentees. I then work with mentees to find mentoring practices best suited to individual needs and establish mentoring contracts that hold me accountable as an mentor. I expect members of my lab to contribute to creating a supportive and inclusive environment. As an instructor, I acknowledge the barriers to pursuing education experienced by students from underrepresented backgrounds. I strive to make myself available to discuss potential barriers and work with students to find solutions. During lectures, I aim to increase the self-efficacy of my students by highlighting the scientific contributions of underrepresented researchers to the field of biology.
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DEI Training:
2017-2022 Attended annual DEI training seminars hosted by the Emory University Population Biology, Ecology, and Evolution Graduate Program
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2021 Attended DEI training seminar hosted by Emory University Jones Program in Ethics
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I am passionate about providing access to science acitivities to local communities. I am particularly passionate about increasing STEM access for K-12 children. Research demonstrates that early engagment with science increases life-long interest in STEM fields. As a graduate student and postdoctoral fellow, I have participated in outreach opportunities that provide hands on science experiences to k-12 children. I will continue this volunteerism as an independent PI by collaborating with local teachers to host anual "science days" in their classrooms and by organizing STEM events for my local community.
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Outreach experience:
2024 Advice Panel for Pursuing a Postdoc. I was invited by the graduate students at Emory University to sit on a panel of postdocs and provide advice about the postdoctoral careers stage. Advice included topics such as how to contact a potential postdoc advisor, postdoctoral funding opportunities, how to apply for external grants, how to navigate the postdoc as a parent, and applying for jobs as a professor during the postdoc.
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2022,2024 Volunteer at Carrie Steele-Pitts Home. This organization supports at-risk youth in the Georgia foster care system. The goals of the organization are to provide students with holistic support for their emotional, intellectual, social, and professional development and advancement. One way they accomplish this is by inviting experts from broad careers to meet with the children, provide career advice, and offer exposure to the array of potential careers they may pursue, as well as offer insights into the steps necessary to achieve these goals. I have volunteered by holding advice sessions on exam preparedness, applying for scholarships, and navigating college. I have also volunteered by performing mock interviews for students to gain experience with a professional interview setting.
2018, 2022 Judge at Georgia State Science and Engineering Fair. Athens, GA.
2021 Science Day at Sycamore Elementary School. I volunteered by assisting with a virtual hands- on experience, merging science and art, to teach students about mutualistic interactions between microbes and their hosts. This school serves a primarily low-income student population from diverse backgrounds, including many immigrant students.
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2019 - 2020 After School Tutor and Mentor for K-12 Children at East Atlanta Kids Club. This program provides additional social and academic support for children from low-income families. Volunteers provide students with reliable mentorship, allowing students to build trusting relationships for support as they navigate their educations. I volunteered providing weekly homework support for elementary-aged children, including topics in science, math, and English. My involvement with this organization ended due to the pandemic.
2019 K-12 Science Camp Volunteer. I volunteered at an NSF-sponsored science camp hosted by the Morran Lab for K-12 children from the Edgewood neighborhood of Atlanta, Georgia. The camp provided hands-on experience for children from primarily low-income households.
2019 Lunch and Career Advice Session with Undergraduates. I was invited to discuss career options in science with undergraduates at Merry Lee Environmental Learning Center (MELC) at Goshen College in Albion, Indiana. Goshen is a small town in a rural community, and Goshen college primarily attracts local students. MELC provides students with hands-on experience in sustainable agricultural practices while merging basic science principles. I discussed my work with an agricultural pest and its bacterial symbiont, shared my career path from rural Indiana native to PhD student, and answered questions from students about college and career.
2017-2020 K-12 “Mycrobes” volunteer. This is a science outreach activity sponsored by the Gerardo Lab aiming to teach children about the microbial world all around them. I volunteered by visiting local elementary schools and discussing microbes with the children. Students then swabbed various surfaces in their classrooms and streaked the swabs on LB agar plates. We returned n these plates to the lab and took daily pictures, which were uploaded to a website the Gerardo Lab manages. Children are given a number that corresponds to their plate and allows for them to monitor the growth of microbes from their swabs over time.
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2010-2014 University Coalitions for Global Health Member. This student-led club aims to provide educational activities to fellow undergraduate students about global health matters and empower students to take action to combat these issues. I served as a volunteer from 2010- 2011, secretary from 2012-2013, and president from 2013-2014.