Queer Science: Investing in Queer & Trans Futures
On my new K-12 outreach program!
It’s time for me to share something BIG I’ve been working on.
In 2016, a group of graduate students at the University of Minnesota started an outreach program called Queer Science for LGBTQ+ high school students to meet LGBTQ+ researchers at the University. Their goal was to create a safer space for young queer and trans people and to provide them with career mentorship in the traditionally hypermasculine, cishetero STEM environment. This was a massive success, with the program growing from just a few members to dozens in just a few years!
The “Leslie Knope” of this operation was Dr. Julie Johnston, who I met at the 2019 oSTEM conference. Over the course of the 2020 we became close friends, and with her advice (not to mention the amazing people at the Vergnano Institute for Inclusion), I brought Queer Science to UConn in 2022. The event was a full day of science demos, rainbows, mentorship, and celebrations of queer identity. And it was magical.
Events like these are incredibly rewarding for me and our volunteers, but they are world-changing for students. For many young people, this is the first time they’ve ever been in a space where every single person around them was queer! We had many students at the 2022 event return for the 2023 event, and we even had students arrive with no interest in STEM (they just wanted to be around other young queer people) who later changed their minds and decided to apply for a STEM degree. At UMN, some of the program alumni have even returned to volunteer for the program as graduate students. Queer Science, whether at UMN or UConn or Georgia Tech (where Julie founded yet another chapter) has demonstrably improved the pipeline of queer and trans students into STEM fields.
In an era of extreme anti-LGBTQ+ backlash, which ranges all the way from heinous murders to political violence, it’s more important than ever that we give young people the tools they need to protect themselves and succeed in their careers. Which is why I’ve teamed up with Julie to bring Queer Science to Western Massachusetts!
I’m a faculty at UMass Amherst. Julie is now a faculty at Hampshire College. Thanks to support from the Five College Consortium (which is an alliance between UMass Amherst, Hampshire, Smith College, Amherst College, and Mount Holyoke College), plus several faculty and grad students across the Five Colleges, we are holding the first Five College Queer Science event on Saturday, April 26th, 2025! 🌈
In this FREE day-long event, high school students can visit Hampshire College to network with LGBTQ+ STEM professionals, participate in demonstrations from various STEM fields, meet other young aspiring scientists, and crucially, get some free food!
Participants can register here: Registration
Check out our website (more information will be posted soon!): https://sites.hampshire.edu/queerscience/
If you have any questions, please email: <queerscience [at] hampshire.edu>
If you’re in the Western Massachusetts area, please forward this exciting event to science teachers and any enthusiastic high school students looking for LGBTQ+ and STEM community!
We hope to see you there!
Currently Reading
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As undergrads (and let’s be honest, all of us) become uncertain about the future of academia, it’s becoming increasingly important to teach them how science funding works.
Bops, Vibes, & Jams
Chappell Roan has finally blessed us with her service top anthem, “The Giver”.
Eternal Reverie, the funktastic new album by TOKiMONSTA is out now! Favorite tracks: “Enjoy Your Life”, “Corazón / Death By Disco Pt 2”, and “Lucky U”.
I also highly recommend SASAMI’s new album, Blood On the Silver Screen. Favorite tracks: “Slugger”, “Honeycrash”, and “In Love With A Memory”.
If you need help finding new music genres, Every Noise at Once will help you out.
And now, your weekly Koko.
That’s all for now! See you next week with more sweet, sweet content.
In solidarity,
-Anna