CE research group welcomes new project coordinator!

The Cell EXPLORERS team has a new coordinator in their ranks! Our newly funded Giving Real Opportunities to Widen participation in STEM (GROWS) project will be coordinated by Dr Kristin Anderson, PhD. The Cell EXPLORERS GROWS project aims to deliver our education and public engagement activities to young people from minoritized communities in equitable ways.

Kristin’s background is in neuroscience and genetics, but she is no stranger to science communication and youth science outreach, and particularly in widening participation in under-served communities. She has worked with many youth outreach programs over the course of her time in graduate school and during her postdoctoral training that spanned very diverse communities. She has coordinated large scale events such as Brain Awareness Week and art projects that aimed to bridge the gaps that make science inaccessible to the general public. Her additional background in policy will help to grow the GROWS project! We are very excited to have her with us!

Kristin’s role is to disseminate our Science Club and Escape Rooms. She will be making connections across the University, Galway, and Ireland to establish both programs across communities. Both of these programs have been developed as activities for those with no science background or who do not see themselves as individuals that can interact with science. The goal is to build confidence in the young people involved and serve as a positive science experiences that can change attitudes towards science.