The Balskus Lab has a strong interest in sharing our love of science with others! Emily first became involved in science outreach as a high school student, bringing demonstrations to elementary school students and spending three summers teaching chemistry and biology to at-risk middle school students as part of the Summerbridge program (now called the Breakthrough Collaborative). As a lab, we continue to participate in educational activities that allow us to engage the greater community in our research.
From 2012–2015, the Balskus Lab participated in EXPLORATIONS, a program for Boston and Cambridge middle school students with an interest in Science, Mathematics, or Health Careers. This program linked area faculty, research associates, and medical students with Boston and Cambridge middle school students, exposing them to research laboratories and scientific career paths, and included discussions about the importance of academic preparation. EXPLORATIONS was sponsored by the Harvard Medical School Office for Diversity Inclusion and Community Partnership and its Minority Faculty Development Program, Educational Outreach Programs, and Biomedical Science Careers Program.
HGWISE Mentoring Program
Prof. Balskus currently serves as a mentor for the Harvard Graduate Women in Science (HGWISE) Mentoring Program.
Sharing our Research
Prof. Balskus and lab members have also sought to engage the general public in our science through participation in Science by the Pint, a program organized by the Harvard-run graduate student group Science in the News. Prof. Balskus has also written an opinion piece about the Unified Microbiome Initiative for the online science publication STAT and given multiple talks about human microbiome research for a general audience.
Links to YouTube videos: