UCS Science Network

UCS

Through our Science Network, UCS collaborates with nearly 20,000 scientists and technical experts across the country, including physicists, ecologists, engineers, public health professionals, economists, and energy analysts. Science Network Voices gives Equation readers access to the depth of expertise and broad perspective on current issues that our Science Network members bring to UCS. The views expressed in Science Network posts are those of the author alone.

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Photo: InTeGrate, Science Education Resource Center at Carleton College

Science Citizenship: Making Science Actionable

Sarah Fortner

July 18, 2018 3:29 PM EDT

I decided to pursue a career in science in part because my high school chemistry teacher believed in me and sent me on a glacier expedition. Are you helping your students understand how to form a science supported-opinion? Are you teaching your students how to evaluate and communicate using science? Students need to learn about more than how earth and environmental systems work; they needed to know how their work connected to community and political decisions. Helping them see and realize their personal and local power is central to justice. Read more >

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Photo: US Marines

The Time Has Come for Stronger Investment in Water Infrastructure – Especially for Underserved Communities

Sara Schwartz

July 9, 2018 10:56 AM EDT

When news of the Flint water crisis broke headlines, 21 million people across the country relied on water systems that violated health standards. Low-income communities, minority populations, and rural towns disproportionately deal with barriers to safe water. Drinking water challenges are complex: failing infrastructure, polluted water sources, and low capacity utility management are all part of the issue. Read more >

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Uniting Young Scientists: Building a National Network for Grassroots Science Policy

Holly Mayton

June 27, 2018 4:50 PM EDT

According to a 2014 study by the American Institutes for Research, less than half of STEM Ph.D. graduates are employed in academic careers. Unfortunately, by nature of pursuing our degrees in academia it is difficult to identify mentors, expand networks, or practice skills for a non-academic career during graduate school. This challenge has been recognized by the National Academies of Science, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM) in their recent report, which calls for a broad range of changes in the graduate education enterprise to make the system more student-centric and better prepare students for careers that address global societal needs. Read more >

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Breaking Through the Ice: LGBTQ+ Visibility in Stem

Dr. Lauren Esposito

June 22, 2018 11:28 AM EDT

I grew up in one of the only Democrat-voting counties in Texas, along the border of Mexico. The majority of people who live in the city are Hispanic, and Catholic culture runs deep for those people who practice religion and those who don’t alike. My family wasn’t much for religion, but one summer my grandmother sent me to Vacation Bible School, as it’s called in Texas. I fit in perfectly because on the first day I declared to the rest of the kids that I was a boy. I guess I knew from the ripe old age of six that being a girl who was a tomboy wasn’t going to make me any friends in West Texas, and it was easier to fit in pretending to be something I wasn’t, which in this case was a boy. Read more >

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