GOALS AND STRUCTURE

Goals:

  • Research: To give Florida Museum graduate students an opportunity to share their research with others.
  • Networking and Professional Development: To create a place for Florida Museum (Powell and Dickinson) graduate students to interact, share ideas and participate in faculty meetings working through the department of natural  history.
  • Broader Impacts: To have a liaison between folks in Powell and Dickinson (between graduate students and Education and Public Programs), to help students utilize the powerful resource of educators in Powell Hall. We will work across all layers of the museum to broaden representation in STEM and introduce people from underrepresented backgrounds to STEM fields.
  • Mental and Social Well-being: To create opportunities for graduate students to engage with each other and develop a healthy community.

Structure:

FMSA is nestled within the Department of Natural History to create a line of communication between students and the faculty. Additionally, FMSA aims to provide a transparent governance system in the department of natural history to give agency to student members in the museum.Transparent governance will necessitate students being voted into graduate representative positions on various departmental committees. We also have liaisons to keep us up to date on news and outreach opportunities from the Florida Public Museum (Network and Broader Impacts Committee). In addition, we focus on professional development through trainings and workshops (Club Committee), and social events to help our overall well-being and mental health (Social Committee).

FMSA Structure

Current initiatives:

  • Student listserv
    • developing and maintaining a comprehensive list of students in the museum
  • New Student welcome and orientation
  • Professional development workshops and events to provide students with resources
  • Social events to support students mental and physical well being
  • Transparent governance through incorporation into the natural history department by-laws
  • Elected student representatives on departmental committees
  • Member of the graduate affinity group with Antonio Farias, UF Chief Diversity Officer

Future plans:

  • Accountability groups
    • writing and reading
  • Seminar series with professionals from various underrepresented minority (URM) backgrounds
    • Lunch conversations about career journeys