Dear Ecologgers, I am collecting science success stories as part of a project with the Scientista Foundation to increase student motivation in STEM. Subsequently, I am reaching out to the ecolog community for relatable stories about being a real scientist or science student. It’s a lot easier to believe that a bad grade in genetics won’t keep you from pursuing your dreams when you find out that Mendel failed a few exams too. In fact, recent research has shown that academic performance improves after students have been exposed to stories in which scientists overcame challenges in their career. As I result, I am specifically looking for stories which show that effort can be even more important than innate talent. Your anecdotes will be shared on Scientista’s blog site, a resource devoted to connecting pre-professional women in STEM fields. If you are able to take a few minutes to share a time when you experienced a challenge (i.e. had a paper rejected, overcame a fear of public speaking) or had an accomplishment at some point in your career (i.e. learned a new technique, bonded with an adviser), then please visit https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/9WQC3S5. Please feel free to share the link with anyone else who you think may be interested. All backgrounds, male and female, are welcome to participate, and you may remain anonymous. Thanks very much for all your help. Best, Lauren Koenig Co-Editor-in-Chief The Scientista Foundation To learn more about the motivation behind this project please read http://ww2.kqed.org/mindshift/2016/05/10/how-teens-benefit-from-reading- about-the-struggles-of-scientists/ To learn more about Scientista please visit http://www.scientistafoundation.com
