Alex’s Story
Alex, a 20 year old based in England, is the Physical Sciences Managing Editor as part of the Youth STEM Matters Volunteer Team.
In his own words, this is his story.
I joined the Youth STEM Matters Volunteer Team in April 2020, having first heard about the journal through Adam, the Editor-In-Chief. He had reviewed a paper I had written a few years before, and reached out with the opportunity to apply to be a Reviewer. With the journal having only just launched, it was the first round of applications and the details around exactly how it all worked were slightly fuzzy; however, the core principles of focusing on the UN Sustainable Development Goals and helping other young people to publish their work really stuck with me.
“I have also hugely enjoyed the breadth and insight reviewing has given me into the range and depth of research that young people are doing.”
After completing the Reviewer training, I became a Physical Sciences Reviewer and immediately began to review research papers based on new coral reef technology and microbial fuel cells. I hadn’t had any experience in reviewing papers before but the training I received was thorough enough to give me confidence in my own abilities by the end. I have also hugely enjoyed the breadth and insight reviewing has given me into the range and depth of research that young people are doing and the innovative ways they are solving problems without the funding available for adult researchers.
Having done a little bit of volunteering with other organisations before, I had found it slightly demoralising as I had not really been seeing the benefits of the work - however, at Youth STEM Matters this wasn’t the case, and I found that I could directly see the impact of my work. The authors responded to comments I made and, by working together, their papers got better.
After 3 months, I then applied to be the Managing Editor of the Physical Sciences Team. Although slightly daunting, as I was only a Reviewer before, I believed that I could contribute both the time and energy required, as well as having the skills necessary to manage a team. It was quite a grand title as, at the time, this part of the team only consisted of a few people and the main goals were to get more young people joining as volunteers and publish our first physical sciences articles. Through several meetings with other members of the leadership team, I also helped to decide where the journal wanted to be in the future and where we could improve.
Although I had led teams before, it had never been for sustained periods like at Youth STEM Matters, instead being for shorter tasks or coursework. I found that it required a different style, where investment in the team was key, due to the longer time period, and, over time, I grew more confident and felt more at ease in the role. I have no doubt this will help me in the future, especially in STEM, where leadership is very valuable as it is not taught directly.
Some of the things that I’ve been involved with during my time at Youth STEM Matters include delivering briefings, assessing applications, completing ethics courses and, of course, reviewing papers. All of these are transferable high-level skills, which I’ve been able to learn and practice in a welcoming and forgiving environment. I believe this is one of the best things about being part of an organisation like Youth STEM Matters at this age; it truly doesn’t matter if things go wrong as long as you learn, because everyone is always willing to give constructive feedback.
Being on the team has hugely improved my leadership and communication skills. As a completely online organisation, it was slightly nerve-wracking at the start - I couldn’t read people to see how they responded to what I said. However, I soon realised that everyone was part of Youth STEM Matters for the same reasons and that it was an extremely supportive environment, with people posting pictures of their pets and voting-up each other's science projects.
In the future, I have no doubt that the skills I have learnt, both to do with the publishing process and the soft, people skills, will be incredibly helpful. I saw an increase in my university lab report grades too, from the technical skills I learnt about analysing papers, and made new friends. I leave Youth STEM Matters sadly, but know that I have helped other young people to publish their research and have had a great time doing it.
“I have no doubt that the skills I have learnt, both to do with the publishing process and the soft, people skills, will be incredibly helpful. I saw an increase in my university lab report grades too, from the technical skills I learnt about analysing papers, and made new friends.”