meliseedwards

The Importance of Grant Writing in Graduate School

As early career graduate students, we are often dissuaded from focusing too much of our time on anything other than courses, milestones and research. While these are undeniably important and essential for our academic progress, there are other skills students may also want to prioritize. Students should keep in mind what their own specific careerContinue reading “The Importance of Grant Writing in Graduate School”

5 Ways to Take Action for Racial Justice

“Racial justice is the systematic fair treatment of people of all races, resulting in equitable opportunities and outcomes for all. Racial justice — or racial equity — goes beyond “anti-racism.” It is not just the absence of discrimination and inequities, but also the presence of deliberate systems and supports to achieve and sustain racial equityContinue reading “5 Ways to Take Action for Racial Justice”

Cognitive Reserve and Racial Privilege in STEM

We say that STEM is changing for the better and, in many cases, this holds true. This post asks questions about ways in which higher education may have unintentional blind spots and the effects this may have on students of color.

Understanding ‘underrepresentation’ in STEM

Blog post coming soon explaining what underrepresented means, historical context for groups which are underrepresented in STEM and amplifying the work of organizations and efforts which aim to diversify these fields.

Animals in research

Blog post coming soon about animals in research, demystifying the many laws and protections for animals in research, my work with animals and what discoveries have been made which necessitate humane animal research. I will also write about how we as scientists can be better attuned to the needs of our animals.

Tone Policing: why a more preferable tone will not make the truths of Black women more palatable.

You already know. Blog post coming soon about how the perfect tone, timing, or way to talk about white privilege and white supremacy does not exist; uncomfortable subject matter is the cause for defensiveness and aggression–not the tone of people advocating for the acknowledgement of rampant inequality and injustice.

Barriers in STEM

Blog post coming soon highlighting the many barriers to higher education (including but not limited to) financial barriers of college education, particularly for those who work full/part time and are required to have as much research experience as their financially secure peers who have more time and cognitive reserve to dedicate to research; standardized testsContinue reading “Barriers in STEM”