Applicants are not limited to a particular career field or organization type – we encourage women who use science, technology, engineering, and math in their careers to apply. We seek to highlight the wide variety of career pathways and fields that rely on STEM – including (but not limited to) research and development, sports and recreation, finance, fashion, gaming, engineering and manufacturing, entertainment, healthcare, retail, music, and more.
We encourage women with a background in any science, technology, engineering, or math field to apply. We conceive STEM broadly, with disciplines including (but not limited to) agriculture, food, and renewable resources; anthropology; astronomy; atmospheric and hydrospheric sciences; biological sciences; chemistry; dentistry and oral health sciences; STEM education; engineering; geology and geography; industrial sciences and technology; information, computing, and communication; linguistics and language science; mathematics; medical sciences; neuroscience; pharmaceutical sciences; physics; psychology; social, economic, and political sciences; and statistics, risk analysis, and other applied mathematics.
We recognize that training in STEM comes in many forms, including undergraduate, graduate, and post-graduate study; technical apprenticeships; and on-the-job training. Applicants should address their training in STEM as a part of the “professional preparation” section of their CV.
Media, classroom, and public engagement opportunities for AAAS IF/THEN Ambassadors will take place in the United States. Therefore, we seek women in STEM who reside in the U.S. Candidates’ research and work may take place anywhere in the world. Candidates need not be U.S. citizens to apply.
You must appear on camera for at least 30 seconds. Your video may also include animations, photos or footage from your research or work, or other content – but it does not have to. Your video does not have to be professionally-produced – you may submit something that you recorded using your phone. Videos should be well-lit and should be sufficiently close-up to show your face. You may provide videos that you have produced or appeared in briefly as a part of your additional materials.
While the content of your video should target students or public audiences, you do not need to show those audiences on camera.
We anticipate that AAAS IF/THEN Ambassadors will be featured in a wide variety of media channels, including through organizations that are a part of the IF/THEN coalition. Such opportunities may include the Ad Council’s “She Can STEM” public service announcements, digital assets available through the National Girls Collaborative Project’s FabFems portal, content developed by the Association of Science-Technology Centers and Teach for America, and collaborations with entertainment industry professionals via the National Academy of Sciences Science & Entertainment Exchange.
AAAS IF/THEN Ambassadors will connect directly with middle school girls in-person and online, in classrooms and informal science learning venues. There will be a variety of opportunities available through IF/THEN coalition members, including engaging with Girl Scouts working toward new STEM Career Badges, speaking to and being interviewed by kids attending AAAS Family Science Days, using the Nepris web-based software platform to virtually visit with students in classrooms and nonprofit programs, and leading hands-on STEM activities at museums and science centers.
Because the application materials require a significant amount of input by and about the candidate, we suggest that candidates fill out the application for themselves. If you would like to nominate someone as a AAAS IF/THEN Ambassador, please direct them to https://ifthen.aaas.org to complete an application.
Candidates who would like to provide one or more letters of support as a part of their application materials may do so, but letters of support are not required. Any letter(s) must be uploaded by the applicant in the "Additional representative samples or other documentation" portion of the application, therefore it is not possible to submit a confidential letter of support.
We do not require that candidates be members of AAAS. However, we encourage candidates to learn more about the benefits of AAAS membership and to join AAAS by visiting https://www.aaas.org/membership/why-join.
Individual candidates are evaluated for overall excellence with a focus on contributions to their STEM-related field; demonstrated interest, experience, and abilities in STEM communication and public engagement via media, classroom, and public programs; and commitment to inspiring middle school girls to be the next generation of STEM pioneers. As a group, the AAAS IF/THEN Ambassadors cohorts will include diverse STEM women leaders representing array of career fields, career stages, and pathways in STEM.
Applications for AAAS IF/THEN Ambassadors will be accepted April 1 – July 21, 2019. AAAS IF/THEN Ambassadors will be selected in two cycles:
Yes, candidates who are not selected in the first cycle may reapply. However, we are not able to provide specific feedback on candidates’ applications.
Emails related to the application system will come from noreply@apps.aaas.org. Please be sure to check your spam folder.