Youth STEM Matters Issue 2 Print Edition - Submit Your Article Proposals!
We’re excited to announce the second print edition of Youth STEM Matters will be published in 2023! Issue 2 will have a Nature-Based Solutions theme, so read on to find out how you can share your research, ideas and innovations!
Following on from our Issue 1 Youth STEM Matters Print Edition, published in 2022, Issue 2 will again be packed with the STEM-based research, ideas and innovations of young people from around the world. We’re giving YOUth a platform to speak up on the issues you care about, and by taking part you’ll empower other youth around the world to take action for a better world too.
Issue 2 Theme: Nature-Based Solutions
Planet Earth is our home, yet it is under threat. The climate and ecological crises have meant plummeting biodiversity, ecosystem collapse, and a sixth mass extinction event. A healthy natural world is critical for our food systems, health, communities, and economy, and is heavily interlinked with the achievement of the UN Sustainable Development Goals. But, nature can also play a key role in inspiring and providing the solutions to the world’s biggest challenges. That’s why we have chosen Nature-Based Solutions as the theme for our second print edition - with your help, we can find STEM solutions to the challenges faced by communities and individuals across the globe, by taking inspiration from, and directly using, natural solutions.
So, what are nature-based solutions? Nature-based solutions means using nature to address societal and STEM challenges, providing benefits for communities, human wellbeing, and biodiversity. Often, nature-based solutions involve the protection, sustainable management, or restoration of the natural world, or the re-incorporation of natural processes into areas where they have otherwise been lost, such as cities or agricultural areas. However, nature-based solutions can also mean using natural or biological processes to inspire the creation of new technology or concepts. Nature-based solutions should always be planned and implemented with the advice, consent, and primary involvement of local communities and Indigenous people.
Submit a Pitch to Write an Article for Youth STEM Matters
Every article in Youth STEM Matters is written for young people, by young people. We’re looking for a diverse group of young people (age 22 & under, with individual or group submissions accepted) from around the world to raise your voice on the issues that matter to you. You don’t need any previous experience in writing articles to submit your work to Youth STEM Matters - we’re looking for young people who have something to say and are willing to work hard alongside our team to write, edit and refine their article, so it looks great in our print edition!
For example, you could write about:
A Feature, exploring the benefits and shortcomings of a specific nature-based solution
A Case Study of how nature-based solutions are being used to solve a problem in your community or country
Share your Experience of implementing nature-based solutions in your community
An Interview with someone who is using nature-based solutions, sharing about their work and the projects they are involved in
Share your Perspective on the importance of nature-based solutions
Or something else! We’re very open to your ideas!
To submit, all you need is a proposal outlining what you’d like to write about. The best proposals will focus on a specific niche topic/issue and will provide a clear outline of how the author(s) intend to approach their article. All articles should provide a new and unique insight into the issue, for example through providing the author’s own perspective, raising awareness of an issue that is rarely spoken about, or approaching a topic from a new angle.
Anticipated Timescales for Science Communication Articles:
Deadline for proposal submissions - 12th July 2023
Applicants informed of outcome - 16th July 2023
First draft due - 31st July 2023
Revisions sent to author - 13th August 2023
Second draft due - 22nd August 2023
Timescales of any subsequent revisions/drafts to be agreed as required
NB: Unlike our regular submissions procedure, our call for submissions for the print edition is a competitive process. As we are anticipating a high volume of submissions, authors who are invited to submit a first draft of their article are not necessarily guaranteed to be selected for the print edition. However, we are committed to working with all authors who reach this stage to get their work published in Youth STEM Matters digitally, providing it meets our publication criteria in terms of format, scientific accuracy and quality of communication.
