We are so excited to welcome you to our page! The Wildlife Research Alliance was formed to meet a need in the scientific community: an effective way to provide opportunities to underprivileged, underrepresented aspiring scientists. We believe the solution to the overwhelming lack of diversity in science is to offer paid internships to those entering the field. Relying on unpaid internships has long been viewed as a necessary evil for non-profit organizations that are chronically underfunded. It has also led to a field dominated by people who come from a certain level of privilege who are often white, upper-middle-class Americans. Research has shown that truly integrating minority scientists can lead to enhanced scientific discovery, productivity, innovation, and impact (Smith-Doerr et al., 2017; AlShebli et al., 2018). The Wildlife Research Alliance goes beyond representational diversity to achieve a true paradigm shift in how different communities are represented in science.
This may seem like a daunting task, and sometimes it seems like that for us too, but we are confident that where there's a will there's a way. There is no question in our minds that this change is long overdue, and the funding is out there. If you catch Amber Lea on a good day, she'll tell you her list of billionaires she is fairly confident she could get donations out of, if given the chance.
Stay tuned to see our upcoming projects, collaborations, and opportunities. We are currently working hard to obtain funding that will make this all possible!
References:
AlShebli, B. K., Rahwan, T., & Woon, W. L. (2018). The preeminence of ethnic diversity in scientific collaboration. Nature communications, 9(1), 5163. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-018-07634-8
Smith-Doerr, L., Alegria, S. N., & Sacco, T. (2017). How diversity matters in the US science and engineering workforce: A critical review considering integration in teams, fields, and organizational contexts. Engaging Science, Technology, and Society, 3, 139-153. https://doi.org/10.17351/ests2017.142