
Headwaters Science Institute and RePicture have teamed up to jump-start the professional development of young scientists. Students participating in our Headwaters Research Experience will be able to sit in on a RePicture workshop at the end of each program to gain an understanding of the importance of digital identity and professional development, and create their RePicture profile highlighting their research. What makes RePicture special to us at Headwaters is that it provides a service that we lack, and that is an innovative way to highlight the amazing accomplishments of our participating students. Now more than ever it is critical that students begin to build their professional digital presence by networking with the broader business and science communities, as well as their peers.
Professional and social networking platforms are the primary way people are finding their careers now. Social platforms like Twitter are used widely in academia for recruiting potential graduate students and often jobs in the data science sector, while platforms like LinkedIn are primarily used for “professional” non-academia careers. RePicture is a Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) education and career accelerator platform where students gain access to extracurricular programs and are connected to organizations such as NASA, MIT, and UC Berkeley: Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering. Our goal for the Headwaters Research Experience is to inspire the next generation of scientists. Part of that is ensuring they are equipped with the professional skills needed to stand out in a college or job application pool. With RePicture’s help, we can achieve that goal.
We are always raising donations to bring these student-led research opportunities to underprivileged students that need it most. A donation as small as a cup of coffee can go a long way in our mission to foster curiosity through science!