The role of community service in science
As trainees, we tend to think that we are limited in our ability to influence others. We might even think we won't be in such a position until we hit the next career stage. This is a misconception. In academia, we underestimate the value of our experience and the extent of our achievements. Our perspective is warped and we lose sight of the real impact we can make by sharing our knowledge and time with those who have not had the same exposure to science that we have. It is our privilege (and responsibility, in my opinion), to increase access to the scientific enterprise, whatever that may mean for each one of us.
To trainees: Seek opportunities that connect you to your community. Seek a mentor that will value these opportunities, not one that views them as forced service or charity work. Outreach can take many forms, you should find the one that resonates with you. You will be a better overall scientist and human for it, and you will have made a real impact on others along the way. If done correctly and with care, these are the memories that stick with you anyhow, not your extra hours in lab.
To principal investigators: Your responsibility is to push your lab members to become well-rounded scientists and leaders beyond the bench or computer. Encourage your trainees to expand their conceptual framework of what it means to be a scientist within and olab. beyond lab. These endeavors, whether they be outreach, community service, advocacy, or scientific communication, will improve your trainee's mentoring skills, expose them to new ideas, bring perspective, and force them to distill complicated concepts for the excitement of others. They will fill you with purpose and perspective, and perhaps inspire the underserved, actively excluded groups that science sorely lacks.
As trainees, we tend to think that we are limited in our ability to influence others. We might even think we won't be in such a position until we hit the next career stage. This is a misconception. In academia, we underestimate the value of our experience and the extent of our achievements. Our perspective is warped and we lose sight of the real impact we can make by sharing our knowledge and time with those who have not had the same exposure to science that we have. It is our privilege (and responsibility, in my opinion), to increase access to the scientific enterprise, whatever that may mean for each one of us.
To trainees: Seek opportunities that connect you to your community. Seek a mentor that will value these opportunities, not one that views them as forced service or charity work. Outreach can take many forms, you should find the one that resonates with you. You will be a better overall scientist and human for it, and you will have made a real impact on others along the way. If done correctly and with care, these are the memories that stick with you anyhow, not your extra hours in lab.
To principal investigators: Your responsibility is to push your lab members to become well-rounded scientists and leaders beyond the bench or computer. Encourage your trainees to expand their conceptual framework of what it means to be a scientist within and olab. beyond lab. These endeavors, whether they be outreach, community service, advocacy, or scientific communication, will improve your trainee's mentoring skills, expose them to new ideas, bring perspective, and force them to distill complicated concepts for the excitement of others. They will fill you with purpose and perspective, and perhaps inspire the underserved, actively excluded groups that science sorely lacks.