Tomas will be attending the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) conference this week, where he will be recognized for his fellowship at Yale Ciencia Academy of Career Development! The press release follows.
Update, Feb 18 2019: Tomas says this conference was an incredible time, and spanned everything from the internal politics and directions of science (such as changes to peer review and open-access publishing) to careers and networking. We’re glad he got such a great opportunity!
This week, 40 young science leaders will kick off their year as fellows of the Yale Ciencia Academy for Career Development by attending the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) Annual Meeting in Washington, DC (February 14-18, 2018). Washington University in St. Louis School of Medicine is represented through the participation of Tomas Lagunas.
The Yale Ciencia Academy (YCA) for Career Development provides graduate students with opportunities for mentoring, networking, and skills development, and for making contributions to their communities through science outreach. The program is led by the non-profit organization Ciencia Puerto Rico (CienciaPR), in collaboration with Yale University.
Fellows must apply to be selected to participate in the year-long, mostly virtual program, which leverages the CienciaPR community—one of the largest networks of Hispanic/Latinx scientists in the world—to connect doctoral students in biological, biomedical, health and behavioral sciences with advisors, mentors and professional development opportunities. Through workshops and virtual conversations with successful scientists, participants can explore different careers, define their academic and career goals, expand their networks, and acquire communication and leadership skills. The program also allows students to have an impact on society through science outreach. In addition, participants attend an in-person meeting at the AAAS conference, where they participate in program-organized workshops and meeting sessions.
“The Yale Ciencia Academy complements traditional graduate training with access to a diverse network of peers, role models and advisors”, said Dr. Giovanna Guerrero-Medina, Principal Investigator and Director of the YCA. “The goal is to help students gain clarity in their academic and professional goals and become the scientists they want to be. We are excited about the talent and promise among this new class of YCA fellows.”
Started in 2016 and funded by the National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS), YCA has trained 114 young scientists from more than 50 institutions across the United States and Puerto Rico to date. Over the past two years, YCA fellows have completed 85 outreach projects, including podcasts, lesson plans for educators, school visits, and articles and talks for the general public, impacting nearly 16,000 people. The 2019 class is composed of 40 students from 31 institutions nationwide. You can meet the full class of 2019 YCA Fellows here.
About Ciencia Puerto Rico
CienciaPR is a nonprofit organization that connects over 10,000 Puerto Rican and Hispanic scientists, students, and educators worldwide through an innovative online platform. By leveraging its community’s collective knowledge, the organization has created thousands of resources to improve science education and help forge the next generation of Hispanic/Latinx STEM leaders.Additional Resources