SOSA’s Outreach addresses gaps in STEM experiences for a wide age-range - elementary/primary-aged students to undergraduate and graduate students!
How do we achieve our results?
Our volunteers! They are our valued members - practicing scientists who freely give their time and energy to support #GENERATIONNEXT. SOSA is a grassroots operation that welcomes EVERYONE with an interest in STEM education and research. Volunteers can be officially associated departments at universities, individuals with a passion to give back, biotech and pharma scientists and non-scientists alike!
Premier outreach program
We primarily achieve this through STEPS (STEM Talent Expansion through Promotion of Science) - our major outreach effort, professional development activities and intercultural exchange.
Key qualities of STEPS:
- Students target age range: 9-14 - before they make decisions about whether science is not for them.
- 70% of participant space allocated to students from underserved or underrepresented backgrounds in STEM.
- Experiential learning.
- Selection of experiments bears accessibility in mind, commonly using accessible household items so our student ambassadors can replicate on their own.
- Exposure to advanced techniques to pique students’ interest about the world around them, health and disease.
Student quote
"I did not know they were real until now," said a primary school student when asked if they had ever interacted with a scientist.
Professional development
We believe in exposing our beneficiaries to content to help to mitigate ‘learning the hard way’ since the road to a successful career in science will come with valleys along with the peaks!
Key qualities of Career workshops:
- Advice on maximizing social media e.g. LinkedIn use for career advancement
- Tips on job hunting for trainees in the scientific pipeline
- Individual Development Plans
- Best practices for networking
- Personal branding
Intercultural Exchange
Undergraduate students receive experiential and service-learning opportunities through content development and workshop facilitation!
Key qualities of International Exchange:
- Multifaceted learning experience
- Learning about workshop design and execution
- Gaining teaching experiences
- Conference presentation practice
- Networking practice
- International/intercultural exposure
