STEM ResearcHER Newsletter: January 2026

Happy New Year! Let's make 2026 AWESOME!!

Author

STEM ResearcHER Team
January 01, 2026

Bridging the gender and accessibility gap in STEM

STEM ResearcHER is a 501c3 nonprofit organization working to bridge the gender and accessibility gap in STEM research fields through speaker workshops, mentorship programs, and other community events.

♡ 4-Day FREE Virtual Bootcamp: AI x STEM ♡

Day 1 (Jan. 6): AI x Agriculture

Day 2 (Jan. 8): AI x Software Engineering

Day 3 (Jan. 13): AI x Scientific Research

Day 4 (Jan. 15): AI x Healthcare

♡CALIFORNIA STEMStravaganza Coming THIS February ♡

Location Updates soon

@9AM-2PM

Biotech!

Ongoing Updates:

Want to Join STEM ResearcHER?

You can gain volunteering hours, community, and follow your passion. No experience needed, join the team as a…

  • Finance: Cold-email companies and contacts for monetary support for STEM ResearcHER events. Send invoices and work with finances

  • Ambassador: outreach STEM ResearcHER Instagram posts, events, emails, etc. within your school and other communities

  • Marketing: create Instagram posts + reels, along with TikToks and Facebook posts

  • Education: Develop curriculum, running online (and potentially on-site!) bootcamps, and mentoring students

Do YOU have a STEM story you want to share?

Get in touch with the Director of PR to get your story in our newsletter!

STEM Opportunities:

Middle School:

High School:

How to be Involved:

  1. Keep up with Deadlines: For internships, competitions, and joining organizations, research and prepare materials ahead of time to be a great applicant.

  2. Be Prepared: Start a resume, brag sheet, and CV in case an internship/job requires it for applications, and get your recommendations.

  3. Build out your community/support group: You deserve a group of supportive people by your side! With a support group, you could team up for competitions or get help on applications.

Study Playlist of the Month for YOUU🎧🎧✨

Introducing… BioBuilder

Biobuilders’ vision for the future is one in which every student’s high school experience is engaging and prepares them for fulfilling, wealth-building careers that they want and that society needs.

Through hands-on laboratory experiences and biotechnology design challenges, BioBuilder teaches technical knowledge, practical skills, scientific ways of thinking, and an entrepreneurial mindset, all of which are aligned with higher education requirements and successful careers in science.

Get involved with Biobuilders through internships or clubs here!

BioBuilderClub teams work at their schools from mid-October to mid-March, with teams. During the BioBuilderClub season, teams are paired with a practicing bioengineer who will provide 10 hours of mentoring on project ideas.

Preparing Boston-area high school students for careers in life science. The Spring program runs March through May, also Thursdays (4-6PM online) and Saturdays (9AM-2PM in lab).

Astronomers study the universe like the stars, planets, galaxies, black holes, and more, to study the physics behind them.

Who is Dr. Andrea Ghez?

Dr. Andrea Ghez is an astrophysicist well known for proving the existence of a supermassive black hole at the center of the Milky Way. She is a professor at UCLA, leading the UCLA Galactic Center Group. She uses advanced telescopes and optics to track the motion of stars near the black hole. In 2020, she won a Nobel Prize in physics because of her groundbreaking work and has been committed to encouraging young women to pursue physics and astronomy.

Academic Pathways:

  • Take Physics, Calculus and Chemistry (AP if available)

  • Look into Astronomy or Earth/Space Science electives

  • Consider Dual Enrollment in physics or math

Recommended Skills to Build Up:

  • Learn Python

  • Practice reading star charts and planetarium software

  • Take online courses on astrophysics

  • Use simulations or coding projects

How to Get Involved:

School Level:

  • Join/start an Astronomy Club

  • Use a school telescope or build a DIY one

  • Participate in science fairs with astronomy projects

Community Level:

  • Attend local observatory nights

  • Volunteer at planetariums or science centers

  • Join amateur astronomy groups

State Level:

  • Apply to summer astronomy or physics programs

  • Attend public lectures at universities

  • Submit articles to youth science publications

What You Can Do Right Now:

  1. Use apps like Stellarium or SkySafari to learn the night sky

  2. Watch NASA livestreams or telescope feeds

  3. Email a physics/astronomy professor to ask about shadowing

  4. Start a zine explaining cosmic concepts at club fairs

Additional Advice:

  1. Start with curiousity As long as you are curious about a field, you’ll look deep into them to find little ways to be involved and share your interests!

  2. Start recognizing how your activities connect: Not everyone has access to a lab or the ability to take apart in time consuming activities, but if you can understand how your personal identity intertwines with each one it will set you up well to see what is worth spending time on.

Reach out to us!