Katie’s Story
Katie, a 16 year old based in England, is the Lead Copy-Editor as part of the Youth STEM Matters
Volunteer Team.
In her own words, this is her story.
I first heard about Youth STEM 2030 when I was scouring the internet for ways to stay productive during lockdown; its values and goals caught my attention, particularly the big focus on diversity and the ethos that youth really can make a difference. All of this inspired me to apply. At the time when I was applying, I was unaware of the impact it would have on me through the unique opportunities it now presents me with, and I’m definitely glad that I stumbled upon the organisation.
“At the time when I was applying, I was unaware of the impact it would have on me through the unique opportunities it now presents me with.”
I originally applied to be a Reviewer, later realising that I was more suited to the Copy-Editor position. I had never done anything like this before, I barely even knew what copy-editing was, and I wasn’t used to working with people from different countries, continents, and time zones, so, unsurprisingly, I was a bit nervous at the start. However, I soon realised that everyone at Youth STEM 2030 had similar interests as me and were all friendly and eager to learn.
As a Copy-Editor, I received training which taught me common mistakes to look out for, the structure of research and review papers, and many other useful things. I was then able to apply this newfound knowledge through editing a range of articles about various different fields of science, ranging from genetics to quantum computing.
From here, I was promoted to Lead Copy-Editor after developing my editing abilities and teamwork skills. The switch was challenging at first, yet everyone on the team was patient and more than willing to provide guidance when needed. This position is responsible for a vast improvement in my leadership skills, and has helped me to take initiative.
Beyond copy-editing articles, being part of Youth STEM 2030 gives you access to countless opportunities. For example, I got to interview Yasmin Ali, a chemical engineer, and discuss her work as part of an interview article - this was especially useful as I am interested in studying Chemical Engineering at university. I even got to speak with the Head of Editorial Support at the journal Nature to learn about their peer-review and ways in which we can improve ours here at Youth STEM Matters.
There are also many chances for collaboration within the team, whether this is sharing your thoughts on a book in our book club, posting photos of your pets, or working on a group project. I recently led a project that explored different forms of renewable energy, covering their benefits, costs and efficiency (stay tuned for this!). There are always events or articles and projects for you to get involved with, people to talk to about your favourite scientific topics, and people willing to help you with anything, so it really feels like you’re part of a community.
After reading so many papers and articles as part of the Copy-Editing Team, I was inspired to write my own Review Article entitled ‘Bacterial Concrete: A Sustainable Building Material With Advantageous Properties’. My research looks at how adding bacteria to concrete allows it to seal its own cracks through a series of metabolic reactions, benefitting both the economy and the environment. Before getting involved in Youth STEM Matters I had no idea what a Review Article was, let alone how to write one! So much guidance was given to me in order to help me make it the best it could be. Although the peer-review process was long and rigorous, there were people there every step of the way providing me with useful articles to read, or websites to help with referencing. My paper will be the first Review Article published in the journal and I’m very proud of this milestone. Through writing and editing my paper I developed many valuable skills, and I had to read over 100 papers and dissect what they were saying behind the confusing scientific language. The process also taught me how to properly structure scientific papers and how to critically evaluate experiments and data.
Overall, my time here has been extremely valuable: I feel like I’m part of a community helping make real change by spreading the word about new discoveries or interesting topics. I would definitely encourage any young people reading to get involved!
“Before getting involved in Youth STEM Matters I had no idea what a Review Article was, let alone how to write one! So much guidance was given to me in order to help me make it the best it could be.”