We understand that part of how inequality is perpetuated in STEM is the lack of opportunities for education and career development provided to marginalized groups — including people of color, people with disabilities, LGBTQ people, women, and people from working-class backgrounds. Hence, we strongly encourage applications from people with these identities and members of other marginalized communities.
Page and listings up to date as of August 2024
hELP WITH YOUTH SCIENCE OUTREACH EVENTS (ongoing)
Throughout the year local organizations invite us to organize science outreach events for kids and we always need helpers for these events. Open to anyone age 16 and up. No prior experience necessary, we will train you ‘on the job’. Also no application and no commitment necessary.
Just email info@sound.bio and ask to join our Slack workspace. And then add yourself to the #volunteer channel to get notified whenever we need helpers. You can then respond to each opportunity shared via Slack on a case by case basis.
assistant instructor for Middle school science program (life science explorers)
Life Science Explorers is a program for middle schoolers to gain hands-on experience with molecular biology. (Find more program details on our website!) This program was previously run in the summer as a day camp, and we are now adapting it to be an after-school program. We are looking for an assistant instructor to help set up activities and assist students with hands-on lab protocols. While not required, a candidate interested in eventually taking on primary instructor duties in future cohorts is desired.
Lead a community project
We have two exciting projects in need of community science leaders.
Lead the SBL Kombucha Science Community Project!
We are looking for a motivated leader(s) to guide the team in designing experiments, coordinating events, and driving this community-based research forward. As the project leader, you’ll have the opportunity to utilize resources from the previous kombucha science projects run out of SoundBio, help isolate and sequence microbes, and lead the comparison of different kombucha cultures.
This role offers a unique chance to grow your leadership skills, work with a diverse community, and contribute to authentic scientific research. If you’re ready to lead a dynamic, hands-on project with the potential to impact both science and the kombucha community, we’d love to hear from you!
Lead the Yeast Evolution Science Community Project!
Are you fascinated by evolution, microbiology, and hands-on research? We’re seeking a project leader to utilize yEvo resources to study evolution using yeast as a model organism. In this role, you'll lead the community project in designing and conducting tolerance and evolution experiments by applying selective pressure to yeast cultures, revealing how genetic changes drive adaptation.
As the project leader, you can leverage the wealth of existing resources and methods developed and tested by yEvo. The Evolving@Home initiative project involves culturing yeast with selective pressure and then using bioinformatics-driven sequencing to uncover genetic factors behind adaptation. This project could be run individually with support from the community, or as a larger group effort to explore broader evolutionary patterns across multiple yeast strains. To further extend this project, you could also include sourdough extraction experiments, using yeast isolated from starters to further study microbial ecology and evolutionary changes.
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If you are interested in leading either of the projects above, please complete the Community Project Interest Form. And list the specific project name. After you fill out the Interest Form, a SoundBio Lab Community Project Committee member will contact you via email to answer any questions about the next steps.
Become a science education leader - JOIN THE SOUNDBIO LAB BOARD OF DIRECTORS as our new secretary of education and outreach
Updated 5/30/24
Take on a leadership position within our education team and within the whole organization. Help to guide and support all of our education and outreach programs.
You can find out more and apply via this form > BOARD APPLICATION AND INFO FORM <
Course Instructor/Assistant
Posted: 6/7/2024
SoundBio Lab seeks several volunteer Course Instructors and Course Assistants to deliver Lab Skills Courses in 2024 and 2025.
Course Instructors will deliver one of several courses with an established curriculum. Each course runs 4-6 weeks with 2-3 hour weekly sessions. The Course Instructor is responsible for the primary instruction and demonstration within each session, but each Instructor will have an Assistant. Dates and times are flexible and can be adjusted to fit the Instructor’s schedule.
Course Assistants will either aid a Course Developer with piloting a new course or a Course Instructor to deliver a curriculum that SoundBio Lab has already developed. In both cases, the Course Assistant’s primary role is to help set up and clean up each session, direct students between activities, provide one-on-one student instruction, and perform other additional support tasks as necessary. If working under a Course Developer, they will also collaborate to evaluate the effectiveness of and engagement with the curriculum and provide feedback toward potential changes.
Time commitment is 4 hours per week for 4 to 6 weeks.
Course DEVELOPER
Updated: 6/7/2024
We seek passionate volunteers to help us develop and pilot new Labs Skills Courses.
Course Developers will work with the Education & Outreach Committee to develop course curricula and materials. They must also commit to teaching the 4 to 6-session course at least twice within a 12-month period. The ideal candidate hopes to gain practical experience in teaching and curriculum design.
Time commitment is approximately 10 hours per month during course development and 4 hours per week during course delivery.
Click here to find out more and apply.
If you have any questions, please reach out to us at courses@sound.bio.
Community Project Program Officer
Posted: 5/14/2024
As a Community Project Program Officer, you will be part of a team at SoundBio Lab designing and supporting a small set of ongoing authentic research projects, known as community projects.
Community projects are authentic laboratory research projects that are designed to be accessible to a range of folks, including those with no prior research experience, and where learning and forming community are just as important as the science.
Volunteer carpenter (Open)
Help build accessible shelving for our lab space!
We're seeking volunteers with carpentry experience to help us design and build accessible shelving for our lab space. By volunteering, you will directly impact our mission to increase access to STEM education and career training.
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