The Abstract: January 2022
Welcome back to The Abstract - your monthly round up of all the latest news from Youth STEM Matters, our youth-led scientific journal.
We’ve been away refining The Abstract and this time we’re not going anywhere! My name is Kimberly Anindo, a Youth STEM Matters English Language Copy-Editor. As the newly appointed Writer of The Abstract, for the next 6 months I’ll be rounding up all the latest from behind-the-scenes at Youth STEM Matters.
Lots of exciting developments happened in January 2022…We kicked off the year by welcoming a new Editor-in-Chief, discussed the future of volunteering at the journal and our team reviewed lots of applications to join our Volunteer Team!
NEW Editor-in-Chief
In January Adam Khan-Qureshi stepped away from his role as Editor-in-Chief in pursuit of exciting endeavours; paving the way for our brand new Editor-in-Chief Yara Obeidi. As she settles into the role, Yara's focus over the next few weeks will be on really listening to members of the volunteer team to develop her strategy for the journal. We'll be able to share more on her vision and strategy for Youth STEM Matters here in The Abstract soon, but for now, here’s what Yara had to say on joining the Youth STEM Matters team and what her focus will be as the new Editor-in-Chief…
“It’s inspiring to see so many people striving towards monumental goals and I’m grateful to be part of it. As the new EiC, my focus is on embracing our unique and innovative advantages to make a greater impact.”
The Future of Volunteering Workshops
Knowing that the volunteers are the heart of the journal, in December we held the Future of Volunteering Workshops. With much changing for us as an organisation, and with many of our volunteers shifting from remote to hybrid school, university and work, we took time to reflect on what volunteering at Youth STEM Matters should look like. Volunteers from across the team took part in calls to continue making volunteering at Youth STEM Matters the most impactful, rewarding & enjoyable opportunity it can be.
Several hour long sessions featuring a collaborative Jamboard allowed us as volunteers to have a say in our future at Youth STEM Matters. We shared our thoughts on a whole range of topics, ranging from being given a blank canvas to recreate the Volunteer Team to understanding what makes the Volunteer Team a special place to be.
“I really liked the format of the workshops as it encouraged discussion, and the experiences of other volunteers encouraged me to share my own. The process of improving can be uncomfortable as it requires identifying these areas of improvement first, but I came out feeling really excited about the future!”
Ask Me Anything Channel
One outcome of the Future Volunteering Workshop is the journal’s new interactive channel in our Slack workspace – Ask Me Anything. Each week, starting from the second week of January, members of the volunteer team have been able to ask a select person any question. Here’s how the participants are finding it:
“I enjoyed my time in the AMA channel. One thing that made my experience unique is that I got to learn something new about myself every time I was asked a question because I found myself giving answers to questions I have never been really asked.”
“The Ask Me Anything channel is very enjoyable. It gave me the opportunity to share more about myself, such as my love for festivals. I appreciated the question on why I chose chemical engineering as I’m passionate about my degree and eager for more (young) people to know about it.”
Annual End of Year Quiz
In December, we held our annual End of Year Quiz for volunteers across our programmes, including Youth STEM Matters. With rounds ranging from world flags, to obscure world records, to finding an item that represents your 2021, our volunteers came together virtually for 90 minutes of quizzing ahead of a well deserved break!
Behind the Scenes of January 2022 Volunteer Applications
In January a total of 11 current members of our Volunteer Team got experience reviewing applications, scoring tasks submitted by applicants, and interviewing, giving everyone involved some great experience of what it’s like to be on the other side of an interview. Making the decisions was no small undertaking – and we’re pleased to have invited 19 young people from 7 countries globally to join the Volunteer Team, and we’re looking forward to introducing them once they’ve completed their training later this month!
“I found it interesting to be the interviewer, especially because it was my first time experiencing something like that! I loved listening to everyone talk about their interests in STEM and the SDGs, as well as what they aim to do at Youth STEM Matters. It was great to hear so many different perspectives from passionate youth, and it got me really excited for the future of Youth STEM Matters!””
“Being the interviewer instead of the interviewee was a different experience; it gave me a lot of insight as to what is expected from the candidate, and it was so great to interview many applicants who were more than qualified, and had very interesting backgrounds and perspectives!”
Volunteer of the Month
Congratulations to Dimple Amitha Garuadapuri who is the Volunteer of the Month for January 2022!
Having been nominated by another member of the Volunteer Team, Dimple was recognised for bringing new ideas to team meetings, and for the level-headed voice of reason approach she brought to the decision-making process for recent Volunteer Team applications. Additionally, as a 2021 Research Conference Organiser, Dimple’s contributions – both as a team player, and when taking the lead – were key in ensuring it was a successful event.
Well done Dimple!
“It is such an honour to be recognised by a team of such exceptional individuals! Youth STEM Matters has given me the opportunity to empower youth from around the world, especially during a time that’s quite uncertain. Yet the highlight is definitely the people I get to work with while doing, so I am very grateful to my teammates for all that they do.”
