Ohio State Astronomy Diversity Committee and Journal Club

I am the postdoc representative on the Ohio State committee for diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI). I believe that the field is at its best when all people feel welcome and supported, and that we still have a long way to go in order to make this a reality. As the postdoc representative on the DEI committee one of my biggest efforts recently has been to help organise the Diversity Journal Club. Every fortnight the astronomy department meets for an hour to discuss various topics in the field related to diversity, equity and inclusion. Recent topics have included graduate admissions (including the use of the GRE), student evaluations, Black in Astro, Sci Access and the development of a DEI strategic plan for the department. Members of the OSU astronomy community are encouraged to join. Find out more here! 

Hubble Fellowship Mentor Program

I was incredibly lucky to receive the NASA Hubble (Sagan) Fellowship. I say lucky, because each year only ~1/17 applications are successful and there are undoubtedly many more than the ~25 chosen who would do great science with it! One problem with the Hubble fellowship is that it can be a bit incestuous to the top institutes. This is because people are these institutes have easier access to current or previous fellows who can provide support. The Hubble Fellowship Anti-Racism Committee, of which I am a member, created the Mentorship Program to try and combat this. People from around the world apply and are assigned mentors who are current or past mentors. As a mentor, I provide general career advice, read through fellowship applications (for Hubble and elsewhere) and act as a general support outside of the mentee's university. For those interested in signing up for next year, check out this link.

Hubble Fellowship Application Database

I am a firm believer in a transparent astronomy community. This means open and equal access to observations, data, codes and other resources. One important resources in the job market is past applications. This is particularly important for the Hubble fellowship, where the success rate is so low that the applicant must have a firm idea of what makes the "perfect" application. However, many people will be at universities where they cannot easily access local application materials. I applied for the Hubble four times, and hence was rejected three times. I have attached here two versions of my proposal: my first and my last. My first was submitted for the late 2016 call, which was several months before I defended my PhD in March 2017. My last was my fourth and final attempt before I became too old *sigh*, and was submitted in the late 2019 call.

First (Unsuccessful) Application Download Link

Fourth (Successful) Application Download Link

I think that in both applications I proposed to do cool science (largely with circumbinary planets) but the biggest improvement was I showcased my work within the bigger picture, demonstrating a broader appeal. There has since been a push by the Hubble Fellowship Anti-Racism Committee to create a database of past applications to help out future applicants. My successful application is in this database, along with many others which you can check out here!