advocates

(Top row) Joshua Truitt; Scotti Benton (Bottom row) Todd Ireland; Michelle Denson; Reshawndra Hutchins-Trapp

Five Georgia teachers were selected in the Society for Science's Advocate Program in the 2021-2022 school year. Three of the Advocates will each receive a $3,000 stipend while two Lead Advocates will receive $5,000 each. There are eight Lead Advocates and 66 Advocates from around the country. Throughout their one-year terms, these dedicated Advocates will encourage at least three to five students — who identify as a race or ethnicity historically underrepresented in STEM — in science and engineering research and help them enter those projects into competitions.

Georgia Lead Advocates:
Scotti Benton, Jasper County Middle School (Monticello, GA) 
Reshawndra Hutchins-Trapp, Elite Scholars Academy (Jonesboro, GA) 

Georgia Advocates:
Michelle Denson, Atlanta Public Schools (Atlanta, GA) 
Todd Ireland, 100 Black Men of Douglasville, Inc. (Douglasville, GA) 
Joshua Truitt, Hilsman Middle School (Athens, GA) 

Now in its seventh year, the Advocate Program strives to educate and inspire the next generation of scientists, engineers and innovators through hands-on research and competition, and supports full representation of all identities in STEM fields. Advocates will break down barriers to competition participation by providing support for selecting competitions, gathering materials, meeting deadlines, preparing for competition and ensuring inclusivity.

“In the coming school year, students and teachers will have to remain flexible during a fluctuating public health emergency,” said Maya Ajmera, President and CEO of the Society for Science and Publisher of Science News. “Through the Advocate Program, we hope students continue to participate in meaningful and transformative science research experiences. We hope this program continues to be a catalyst for underrepresented students to consider future STEM careers."

The Advocate Program uses a tiered mentorship model, where educators are not only mentoring their students and raising future generations of scientists and engineers, but they are also mentoring, learning from and evolving supportive relationships with each another. Advocates will further develop their science research programs in another unusual year, connect with professionals in the science community and meet like-minded educators who value authentic student research and the educational opportunities that science competitions offer.

“I love supporting middle and high school students as they embark on research projects," said Reshawndra Hutchins-Trapp, an Advocate at Elite Scholars Academy in Jonesboro, GA. "Watching students develop a love of science (and math) and become confident is exciting to me! The Advocate program provides the resources and support system for me to be a better science teacher, mentor, and change agent within my school and community."

To date, Advocates have supported more than 4,000 students during their participation in the program, of which, 3,076 students have successfully competed in at least one science research competition. During the 2020-2021 cycle, approximately 80 percent of student mentees participated in science competitions at the local and/or national level. Moreover, students of Advocates are responsible for over 5,000 unique competition entries, with many students entering more than one competition. Ninety percent of those students are from low-income households and 70 percent are of a race or ethnicity underrepresented in STEM.