A few weeks ago we opened applications for the pilot year of the AAAS Community Engagement Fellows Program. We’ve been excited to see applications coming in from individuals and potential host organizations. Some individuals are interested in joining the scientific community engagement field for the first time and others are current community managers, all from a wide variety of backgrounds and institutions. The potential host organizations we’ve been in touch with are also wide-ranging, from discipline-focused professional societies to major international research projects.
To recap, the AAAS Community Engagement Fellows Program’s mission is to improve community-building and collaboration within scientific organizations, including both professional associations and research collaborations. The program will provide training and support to a cohort of scientific community managers for a full year. It is funded by the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation and is in its pilot year.
If you’re considering applying, please complete your applications by 11:59pm Pacific Time (UTC-8) on Sunday, October 16. (Unfinished applications can be edited by entering your email address in the portal.)
If you’ve been hanging back so far but have an interest or play a role in keeping scientific communities buzzing, don’t hesitate to apply.
The field of engagement in scientific communities is still new and evolving. Your responses to our survey and your phone and email conversations with us have helped us to think in even greater detail about member engagement and internal communications roles in scientific associations and research institutes. Your feedback has also informed us about the nuances of research project administration and research portfolio coordination in collaborations and higher education institutions – all types of community-building activities in science!
If any of the above describes what you do, we definitely want to hear from you! Having a diverse set of Fellows participate in the program will enrich the cohort’s experience of the fellowship – and it will also help the program serve scientists and scientific institutions most effectively.
Apply here to become a Fellow, or email us at communityfellows@aaas.org if you represent an organization interested in hosting a fellow. Reach out at communityfellows@aaas.org with any questions.