Nov 30, 2018
What does it take to kickstart a career in science advocacy? Do
you need to make the right connections and relationships at the
right time or is a "make it up as you go" type of endeavor? If
you’ve wondered about getting involved with this critical work,
you’ve come to the right place. Here to share her experience
getting involved with science advocacy is Dr. Adriana
Bankston.
Dr. Bankston is a skeletal muscle biologist turned science policy
researcher. She is a member of the Board of Directors at Future of
Research, a nonprofit organization with a mission to champion,
engage and empower early career scientists with evidence-based
resources to improve the scientific research endeavor. Her goals
are to promote science policy and advocacy for junior scientists
and to gather and present data on various issues in the current
scientific system. Previously, Dr. Bankston was a postdoctoral
research associate at the University of Louisville. She obtained a
B.S. degree in Biological Sciences from Clemson University and a
Ph.D. degree in Biochemistry, Cell and Developmental Biology from
Emory University.
While there may be some individuals out there who lock on to
science advocacy work early, for Dr. Adriana Bankston it was more
of a “pulling at a loose thread” type of scenario. When she was
working on her postdoc research, Adriana came across some
fascinating information about her postdoc peers and their efforts
securing employment. From that moment on, Dr. Bankston was hooked,
she went on to connect with several organizations that were
involved with science advocacy and preparing science professionals
for the workplace.
One big takeaway from Dr. Bankston’s work is following that thread
that captures your interest. Too often people either get
pigeonholed or pigeonhole themselves into a specific arena where
they lack a driving interest or passion. Don’t let practicality
supplant your innate drive for curiosity, who knows, that thread
you unravel could lead you to important work like Dr. Bankston’s.
Make sure to follow Dr. Bankston’s fascinating work in science
advocacy by checking out the links in the resource section at the
end of this post.
Throughout your education or career, have you benefited from a
mentoring relationship? Have you had the opportunity to act as a
mentor for someone else? Mentorship is one of those vital aspects
of professional development that many people fail to appreciate or
understand. Let’s face it; mentorship is not for the faint of
heart. If you are going to engage in this sort of robust
professional development you’ve got to carve out the time. Dr.
Bankston recognized the value of learning from a mentor, so she
made it a priority on her calendar, sacrificing time after work and
even during lunch breaks.
In the end, Dr. Bankston is convinced that all that sacrifice was
worth it. Not only did she grow as a professional, but her
mentoring relationship also allowed her to see the value of looking
ahead with a bold vision for the future. Looking forward, Adriana
is intrigued by two paths in her field. On the one hand, she is
considering the value of staying local with her advocacy work and
focusing her efforts with university administrations to create new
programs for postdocs. Then there is the more flashy and popular
route of working specifically in the policy sector and seeing her
work have a more wide-reaching impact.