District News & Information Society for Science & the Public Announces 31 New Mentors of the Advocate Grant Program The Society for Science & the Public is pleased to announce that Lisa Ranney has been accepted into the Society’s 2016-2017 Advocate Grant program. She is one of 31 exceptional Advocates selected from 240 applications from 45 states, Washington D.C., Puerto Rico, and Guam. Mrs. Ranney has been an educator for 27 years and has been teaching at Comeaux High School for the past 12 years. She serves as the Lafayette Parish Science and Engineering Fair Director for the Junior and Senior Division. She presently teaches Chemistry, Calculus, and Robotics. The Society Advocate Grant empowers adult mentors to transition underserved middle and high school students from conducting scientific or engineering research to completing applications for science research competitions. These competitions may include, but are not limited to, the Society’s three programs: the Regeneron Science Talent Search, the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair, and the Broadcom MASTERS. The experience of entering competitions can boost students’ confidence in academics, enhance scientific and writing skills, and inspire the pursuit of post-secondary studies in a STEM field. In turn, this leads to more scientific careers from low-income and underrepresented populations. Advocates receive a stipend of $3,000 to mentor a minimum of 3-5 students in their research endeavors and provide support throughout the process of applying to competitions. This support includes identifying appropriate research competitions, managing deadlines, gathering the information the application requires, and helping foster a supportive environment. Additionally, Advocates receive training and ongoing support from the Society and communicate regularly with a cohort of program participants in their region. For a full list of the 31 Advocates selected for the 2016-2017 year, please visit https://www.societyforscience.org/content/press-room/society-science-public-announces-31-new-mentors-advocate-grant-program . For more information about the Society’s Advocate Grant Program, please visit https://www.societyforscience.org/advocate-grant-program-0. |