Category: Articles

Amherst College Science Center

Uncharted waters

cartoon of fish getting on bus

Hello! My name is Phyllis Oduor, and I am a rising sophomore at Amherst College. I moved to the US from Kenya in August 2019 to start my undergraduate studies. I was born and raised in Kenya from my hometown Nakuru, well-known for its pink flamingos that inhabit Lake Nakuru and its Menengai crater. This…

Doubling Down on DNA

zoom meeting screenshot

Updated: Jul 3, 2020 Hi there! My name is Joanna, and this summer I will be having my first research experience as a new member of Amherst College’s Carter Lab. I’ll also be doing my online research in two different locations; the first half will be in my hometown of Torrington, Connecticut and then in Pittsfield,…

Psychology Study Reveals the Role of Race at Amherst College and Beyond

The following article comes from Dr.Elizabeth Aries, a Psychology Professor at Amherst College where she teaches a course called Intergroup Dialogue on Race. She has conducted research on the role of race and social class in an elite college and published two books (Race and Class Matters at an Elite College, 2008;Speaking of Race and…

SURF in the Time of Coronavirus

Despite the cancellation of numerous summer internship programs across the country due to the coronavirus pandemic, the Amherst College Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) will still take place remotely, leaving us to wonder how this new platform might change the program. In the words of Jess Martin (the Administrative Director of the Science Center) “The…

Black Lives Matter.

Visit https://500womenscientists.org/updates/2020/6/1/take-actionand https://blacklivesmatters.carrd.co/ for ways to be actively antiracist and support this movement. The Amherst STEM Network stands in solidarity with those protesting the systems and ideologies that enabled the murders of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and Ahmaud Arbery among too many others. We stand in solidarity with the Black Lives Matter movement. Black men…

Anti-Racist STEM Reading List

Racism in STEM Last Updated: August 31st, 2020 The Black Lives Movement has shown that racism exists not only in obvious forms but also takes subtle shapes in our society as racist attitudes are ingrained in too many systems. As highlighted by #shutdownstem, STEM is not immune to racism.      As members of the…

PSA: What you need to know about COVID-19

What is COVID-19? COVID-19, colloquially known as coronavirus, is an infectious, respiratory disease. It was first identified in December 2019 in Wuhan, the capital of China’s Hubei province. As of April 30, 2020, more than 3 million cases have been reported globally, resulting in more than 225,000 deaths. Over 950,000 people have recovered. What are…