The University of Rhode Island’s Metcalf Institute, Michigan State University’s Knight Center for Environmental Journalism, and the URI Science and Story Lab are proud to announce the 2024 SciComm Identities Project Fellows!

Out of a competitive applicant pool, fourteen Fellows were selected to participate in the second cohort of this innovative science communication fellowship for pre-tenure faculty of color. The 2024 Fellowship will focus on water-related issues, and the cohort includes acclaimed disaster scientists, stormwater engineers, graphic and landscape designers, cell biologists, agrohydrologists, sociologists and more. While Fellows bring a diverse range of cultural and disciplinary backgrounds, they all share a strong history of personal commitment to science communication and inclusivity of underrepresented communities. Many are first-generation Americans, immigrants, and/or the first in their family to attend college. Half of the cohort speaks multiple languages, indicating great potential to communicate science to diverse and vulnerable communities.

“I am a firm believer that science should be accessible by all, that there shouldn’t be barriers in how we communicate results which consequently leave people in the dark,” says Dr. Khalid Osman, incoming SCIP Fellow and Assistant Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering at Stanford University. “I have a direct connection to the effect of poor water infrastructure on poor communities. Where I was growing up, potholes, poor traffic lights, lack of sidewalks, stormwater overflows, and more were common occurrences… Through my education journey, I hold onto this upbringing, in an effort to correct the wrongs of the past and create a bright future for disadvantaged communities. Now my research focuses on creating equitable pathways and frameworks for public services in the very communities that I grew up in.” Science communication and the SCIP Fellowship, he says, is a vital part of that work. “A lifelong goal for my professional pursuits includes uplifting the voices of communities struggling with failing infrastructure. I anticipate the SCIP Fellowship providing me the skills and resources necessary for accomplishing this goal.”