One-on-one mentoring? Networking events and research opportunities? For women and minorities in STEM, the Scientista mentorship program offers the chance to get your foot in the door to the world of academia. Undergraduates are paired with upper-year or graduate mentors for an opportunity to learn more about the scientific community and explore their own passions over the course of an academic year.
On behalf of The McGill Daily, I had the pleasure of speaking with Meghana Munipalle, VP Mentorship of Scientista and PhD candidate in Biological and Biomedical Engineering; and Annie Dang, a U1 Biology and Computer Science major. As a mentor-mentee pair and now research collaborators, they offer some insight into their personal experiences in STEM, including their takeaways from the mentorship program and advice for those considering a career in science.
This interview has been shortened and edited for clarity and concision.
Andrei Li for The McGill Daily (MD): What is Scientista?
Meghana Munipalle (MM): The Scientista Foundation is an international organization dedicated to building resources for women in STEM worldwide. They have chapters in many universities, including McGill. McGill has had a mentorship program for years. There are studies that show that in graduate education, they have less access to networking and other resources. There are many undergrad women who are interested in research. This is a way to meet people in the field, get research experience: for Annie, for instance, to get your foot in the door.
MD: What does the typical Scientista mentorship look like?
MM: We match undergrad students with grad and upper undergrad in their field of study/research area. We start at the beginning of the year. Generally, we’ll host career and professional or social events once a month, and also meet one-on-one with mentees once a month, but possibly more often depending on personal goals. This continues through to April, officially, but many mentors and mentees continue the connection beyond the end of the program. Mentees often ‘guide’ the direction of their mentorship based on their own needs and goals: for example, Annie and I have talked about course selection, study habits, research, grad school, time management, work-life balance, resume building, and everything in between!
MD: What is something you’ve learned, as a mentor for the program?
MM: I didn’t have these kinds of opportunities in my undergrad: I didn’t know what grad school was like until third year, and only started research when I met a prof whose research I was interested in. I didn’t have these kinds of go-tos like the mentors offered in this program. It’s interesting to see how quickly I found myself in this role. I am now a person who can leverage the experience and knowledge that I have to help someone else who wants to enter the field, and this was a bit of a “wow” moment for me. It’s an amazing feeling, to be in the position of a role model.
MD: Why Scientista? What brought you to the program?
Annie Dang (AD): I first heard about Scientista from the MBSU mailing list, and I was really interested in how it was focused on creating opportunities for women in STEM. I have definitely felt the discrimination against women in STEM: a vivid memory I have is of an elementary school teacher who talked about how girls were better at arts and humanities, while boys were good at math and science. I wanted to change that and meet like-minded women. I wanted to do biology since Grade 10, and have been interested in math since elementary school, though there used to be sort of a mental block that made me think I didn’t want to do math. In Grade 12, I discovered that there’s a computational biology program at McGill, and this interested me because I’ve only learned about biology and computer science separately, and I didn’t know what it meant to do a joint program. Many people I met were surprised that they were a combined major. Through the mentorship program, I was able to meet peers in upper years who were able to offer me advice and guidance.
MD: What goals did you have for the mentorship program? What impact has it had on your outlook?
AD: My two main goals were to, first, figure out what computational biology is. Since I’m in second year, I don’t have courses intersecting between biology and computer science, and I wanted to meet people to see what could be done in the field. Second, I wanted to unveil the world of academia. There’s a mystique around it: it’s difficult to find out what it looks like unless you reach out to the professors. What’s more important? Lab, networking, courses? What kind of skills should I prioritize? Statistical programming, anything else? Do I want to even do academia? When do I have to choose between industry and academia? From Meghana, I’ve learned that I don’t have to focus on the choice now, and that I should simply do what I want to do. I can choose to do a Master’s and then a PhD, then enter the industry if I want to. It’s important to do what you’re interested in, rather than selecting a path that would lead you to a good career.
MD: One moment that really stood out to you during the program, that you remember very vividly because it was special in some way?
AD: It was the realization that I don’t have to have it figured out right away. For instance, Meghana started in physics! I found out that many profs did something different in their undergrad than in their research. There was a time where I was considering pure math or computer science: I figured out that undergrad is the best time to find out what I want to do. For instance I’m considering a math minor! Initially, in bio[logy], I wanted to do ecology and evolution, but with Meghana’s supervisor, Professor Nicole Li-Jessen, I became invested in doing cell biology and tissue engineering research. There’s so much out there that I don’t know to like or dislike because I haven’t been exposed to it. I want to try as much of everything as possible, before I choose what field I want to focus on in the future.
MD: How did you first get interested in STEM?
MM: I got interested in STEM through astronomy and astrophysics. It was what pulled me into the world of science. In middle school, I watched every documentary about cosmology, space, physics. It was my first real experience of what I could do in science. Documentaries are a way to make science digestible and show scientists in action: different labs in different countries, collaboration between institutions. It was a moment where I thought “woah, this is something I want to do in my future!” I did some biology, math, and computer science in addition to my major, and I ended up branching out from where I started. You just don’t know how things will turn out.
AD: I actually wasn’t that interested in middle school. I started getting interested in Grade 10, when I had a biology teacher who used to be a neuroscientist. He pushed us to logically deduce and reason out answers, instead of giving them to us. Every time I learned a new logical process, it felt like my worldview was expanding. I feel that this is a better representation of the way science is done in academia than the rote memorization, cut and clean way it’s usually taught. I didn’t like science in elementary school because it’s taught like a series of disconnected facts; learning that science is done differently was what brought me to the field.
MD: What were the most fulfilling and the most challenging parts of your careers?
AD: The most challenging part was getting used to the feeling of not knowing what’s going on. When I started my research, I had no idea of what intervertebral discs were, I did have a bit of knowledge of stem cells, but I didn’t understand the articles or the technical terminology. When I had the chance, I spoke with more people in the lab and read more, and the more I learned, the more quickly I was able to continue learning. The one disparity between how things are taught and done in science is that in school, everything is learned in foundational steps. In research, they assume you have good background knowledge already. The higher you move up, the more you have to fend for yourself. You have to get used to not understanding everything.
The most fulfilling was studying damage and repair of the intervertebral disc. For me, it really felt incredible that I was going to help people with this research.
MM: The most challenging is an equal tie between [my] Master’s Thesis and PhD qualifying exam. The most fulfilling thing was getting involved in initiatives to help women in STEM. One person can’t change systemic issues, but there’s something beautiful in giving advice to one person, watching their worldview grow. For instance, helping Annie and working with her. I also love my research: problem-solving and programming. Some people might not like troubleshooting, but for me it’s like a puzzle. “What’s happening in this model? How can we translate facts in biology into code?”
MD: Any advice/wise words to dispense for people who may feel discouraged?
AD: One thing that’s really stuck with me, in an ironic way, is to not feel discouraged when you feel out of your depth, because that feeling never really goes away, no matter what level you’re at, be it as an undergraduate, masters student or professor. Even masters students and professors will feel out of their depth when talking to experts in fields other than their own. I have a friend who’s stressed that she doesn’t have background knowledge when she’s applying to research positions, but this is quite normal. In class, many of the things you learn have been discovered for hundreds of years, versus the niche and very modern things in research. Feeling out of your depth is a good feeling, because that means you’re putting yourself in an environment that pushes you to learn more.
MM: Two main things. The first is, the path to a career in STEM is not as linear as people or academic culture makes it out to be. I was not linear, nor was I a 4.0 GPA student in undergrad. Don’t think that just because you’re not perfect, you won’t get your foot in or you’ll never get into research. Undergrad is a chance to try things, to wet your feet. Second: to young women, queer people or people of colour, if you ever feel discouraged, there are many clubs and organizations and communities for you. Being part of these communities made me more confident in my voice and beliefs. Join these communities: they’re there for you. Go to networking events, reach out to profs and peers, etc.
AD: Often, there’s a feeling or obligation that you have to use your voice when you’re a minority, for activism. I don’t think anyone should feel obligated if they don’t want to. You’re already changing the landscape of the scientific community by being here.
To learn more about Scientista McGill, you can check out their website at scientistamcgill. wordpress.com.