Welcome to our video! We are a new collaboration between the iDigBio project and the Student Support Services TRIO program located at the University of Florida. We are just starting out, but we have a lot planned for the upcoming years. We would love to hear from other people from the Natural History Collections/Biological Sciences and/or SSS and other TRIO programs. Are you engaged in something similar? Would you be interested in collaborating with us or expanding this network? Thank you so much for taking a look.

HI DeKendrick and Molly - What an awesome program for students to learn and grow. I noted that this program is just starting but you are looking to connect with other networks. The Louis Stokes Alliances for Minority Participation (LSAMP) community may be a good connection as we have similar types of professional development opportunities (and needs) for students. We would be happy to promote your 2020 conference on our website and social media. How do you see TRIO and LSAMP working together? 

It's great to see a wonderful program to support first-generation students to be successful in STEM disciplines. Our outreach program in Puerto Rico is developing STEM skills for students that may be future candidates for your program at the University of Florida (https://stemforall2019.videohall.com/presentations/1554.html).

As others have already noted, this collaboration looks like a great opportunity for students to learn about biological collections specifically and careers in the life sciences more generally, in addition to meeting people who could serve as advisors and mentors. An additional suggestion for another important audience who could benefit from this conference is to reach out to teachers of biology to give them the opportunity. They also are looking for ways to interest their own students in career opportunities and this conference could provide valuable information and connections for them as well. You might contact the National Association of Biology Teachers to see if they can provide information from their database about biology teachers around the University or more broadly across the state. I also see that there is a Florida Association of Science Teachers, who also might help you identify biology teachers. I wish you success with this important project!

Hello All! My name is Ivory Toldson, professor at Howard University, president of Quality Education for Minorities, and one of the facilitators for the STEM for All Video Showcase. The conversation is off to a great start and I will be chiming in with my own input this afternoon and over the next few days. I'm excited about what we can achieve for the next generation of STEM learners!

Great idea to pool your information and resources and make them available in one event for students who may not know what to look for or where or even to look. You noted that students outside your target groups could also attend -- do you have an idea of how many did or the breakdown of student attendance? Also, following on Jay Labov's comment about teachers of biology, you might contact those involved at UF in the Noyce program.

Thank you for this video, this was a very impressive event! In response to your note that the program specifically targeted first generation students, low income students and students with disabilities, I have the following questions:

How many students attended the event?

Did you find that the students engaged with the resources and opportunities you provided?

What strategies did you impart to reach these audiences?

What strategies were successful and what new strategies will you utilize as you attempt to increase participation for your next event.