That's me, the Official Ambassador to the state of California.
ASM Young Ambassador of Science
Something that I have been passionate about is being a mentor, reaching out to the community to help others understand how biology impacts their health, and encouraging students to pursue opportunities in the sciences. In particular, for expanding access to knowledge to minority students who tend to not get exposure to the S.T.E.M (Science Technology Engineering and Mathematics) fields and often pursue alternative careers; leaving a large gap of non-representation in the field.
In late 2017, I found out about a program operated by the American Society for Microbiology called the Young Ambassador of Science program. It's a program where graduate level students and early career scientists volunteer their time to essentially be stewards of the field of science; building the public’s interest and understanding of Microbiology and science in general.
So wait…pause..I know at this point you're like, “would you please tell me what the heck a microbiologist is already”!?!?
Microbiology is the study of microorganisms and the relationship between their micro-environments with both living and non-living things. These organisms generally include bacteria, viruses, fungi (mold, yeast), parasites, and funky things like algae. And us Microbiologists, we study this and/or develop new techniques/technologies so that we may study these relationships that usually cannot be seen with the naked eye. Microscope History for $300 Alex.
Anyway, back to my point. So, my early-career-scientist-self decided I would apply and just two weeks ago I received notice that I was selected to be the 2018 ASM Young Ambassador to California! And being selected for this “prestigious opportunity” (yes that feels a bit awesome), it would be of utmost importance that I work beyond the best of my ability to begin to fulfill the action plan that I proposed.
I look forward to sharing more in the future!
I'm here for it,
- Dr. Queen
