Student Support Network

The digital network will be hosted on the platform Discord and is now active.

Elevating the perspectives of underrepresented students in EE is critical to all of our goals. This includes the Student Advisory Board, which is comprised of 8 students with diverse backgrounds, from 7 different institutions across the U.S., including in Puerto Rico. To further elevate and foster space for students’ voices, we are launching the SSN as a student-led space for digital community-building. 

As a (virtual) platform for undergraduate and graduate students of color interested in Ecology and/or Environmental Science (EE) to connect with each other, the Student Support Network (SSN) will launch with a series of channels (see below), while transforming in form and scope over time to reflect participants’ interests. 

Note that when you graduate, you can continue to participate in the network by transitioning to non-student membership. This allows for the network to continue to expand and for students to connect with diverse people in EE at various stages and across various careers.

Launch channels 

  • Discuss strategies for overcoming barriers in higher-ed and environmental fields
  • Provide feedback on UNIDE pedagogy interventions
  • Build topic-specific reading lists  
  • Access EE resources (e.g., career, funding, grad programs, internship opportunities)  
  • Skill-sharing and knowledge exchange (e.g., R and statistics, writing skills, presentations and posters, industry knowledge)
  • Highlight yourself and your achievements!  
  • Hobbies (e.g, gaming, music, photography)

Other potential (in-person) opportunities include:

  • Funded travel for conference outreach (5-7 students per conference): Organize and/or present at a selected conference around UNIDE topics.  

We will be hosting the Student Support Network on Discord. Discord is like a digital hangout spot where you can chat, voice call, or even have video meetups with your community. Discord provides the opportunity to create and interact in different channels focused on the topics above. We will follow up soon with a link to join our server, in the meantime we recommend downloading the discord app and looking through some of the features.

Link to the server: https://discord.gg/JqkFwDJrjp

Please join, read and agree to the server rules by clicking the checkmark emoji under the Rules message in order to access the rest of the channels. We are looking forward to meeting you and we ask that you write a quick introduction in the “#introduction” channels. (Include name, pronouns, institution, research interest and any hobbies you may have. 

Here is a general tutorial on how to use discord:
https://support.discord.com/hc/en-us/articles/360045138571-Beginner-s-Guide-to-Discord

Please direct any questions/suggestions to Javi (felix.berrios@upr.edu) or message me on Discord

We look forward to hosting the digital network and working with you all.