SISTER

A woman wearing a hardhat, safety gloves, and Juno Jones shoes poses confidently among wood boards at a construction site.

How a new footwear startup is normalizing women in hazardous fields

Being “seen” in the workplace can feel like a lot of different things.

What does this year’s Women’s March mean to you?

I’ve decided that the Women’s March is both monumental and imperfect, important and complicated.

Women scientists form a human pride flag, forming 6 rows of rainbow stripes on the bow of a boat with their different colored clothing. The people are smiling, some with their arms triumphantly up. There is wavy grey water in the background.

Why We Formed a Human Pride Flag in Antarctica

I wanted to be open about my sexuality. I wanted to be an advocate for inclusion. Having a pride flag was a key part of that message.

A peek at the yellow cover of the zine, "In Their Footseps" and a peek at interior pages, including hand-drawn line illustrations and hand-written text.

In Their Footsteps: How I fell in love with zines for science communication

As somebody who had struggled to express myself creatively before, I wanted to experiment with this medium both for science communication and for myself.

A macro photo of an ant queen. She is dark red with wings. She is sitting on a blade of grass, preparing to take flight.

Insects can’t be virgins and you should stop calling them that

Why I will not put the word “virgin” on my ants.

An illustration of a colorful board-game path winding through various words and phrases like mental health, build a network, get advice.

What I Wish I Knew as a First-Generation Biology Student

The culmination of my four years at university left me with one piece of paper, and I felt robbed.

The author is standing in front of a building with columns and marble steps with students sitting on them. It looks like an academic campus.

International students should be allowed to share their science, too

Even though almost one-third of all STEM doctorate recipients in the U.S. are international students, their voices are seldom represented.

Selfie of the author wearing sunglasses, a backpack, and athletic clothes with gray mountains and greenery in the background.

In defense of the 9-5: flexible hours aren’t productive hours

This summer, I had the unique opportunity to finish my PhD research in an industry lab. Same me, same project, same advisor, different environment.

Jewel speaks into a microphone with a wood-paneled wall and a sign that says "The Outrage" behind her. She is wearing a shirt that says "unapologetically feminist scientist."

Why I Strike for Climate as a Salt Marsh Ecologist

Our salt marsh isn’t just changing due to climate change, it’s being totally lost.

Dina Abdel-Fattah standing on sea ice pressure ridge. She is bundled up in snow/ice gear, is wearing a big red backpack, and is stepping on snow. There is white snow/ice as far as the eye can see.

More Than Just a Scientist: My Journey Weaving Science and Politics

My work is applied and human-focused, which also means it is inherently political.

Finding Myself in STEM and Public Service as An African, Black American

My identity as a Kenyan-American is tied with my duty to serve the general society as an epidemiologist, to work in public service, and to advance global health.

Cattails in the forefront of a landscape view of the ocean and a cliff side Big Sur California

Scholar Activism in a STEM Career

How could I continue as a respected scholar but still make a difference?

The author is smiling, bundled up in a puffy coat, scarf, and helmet, on the Sólheimajökull glacier in Iceland in January 2019. There is a an icy blue glacier in the background.

How Ice Carved My Scientific and Political Identity

As someone who is educated in the science behind climate and environmental change, it would be wrong of me to not shout from the rooftops.

Charnell at the US Space & Rocket Center in Huntsville, AL. She is standing in front, looking confident, with the rocket and building behind her, and a blue sky.

Showing Up for Black Women’s Lives

As members of the STEM community, why do we continue to fail Black women?

A photo of the author exploring the ruins of a Scottish tomb

To Be the Curator, and Not the Curated

One of the most freeing things I’ve realized as I’ve grown as an academic is that archaeology can be radically changed into something so much better.

Female Scientists in the Diaspora

There are endless ways of being Puerto Rican and I am creating a new one.

Woman holding sign at March for Science that reads 'We Believe Black Lives Matter, No Human is Illegal, Love is Love, Women's Rights are Human Rights, Science is Real, Water is Life, Injustice Anywhere is a Threat to Justice Everywhere'

Activism: Necessity or Choice?

Yes, it was true that I had entered graduate school for the love of science. Then why did I continue to invest time and effort into “unnecessary” diversity work?

I Am Not An Imposter

Feelings of inadequacy and self-doubt had managed to seep their way into my professional and personal lives, and I found myself questioning everything. Would I ever finish my PhD? Was it just a matter of time before everyone saw me for the fraud that I really was?