An unbroken circle of energy. Everywhere – on the ground, in the hallways, in front of tables, around tables, on tables. In the grass. On the pavement. In the center of a ring of security. To be part of the international youth climate movement is to be a part of a lot of circles. The choice to sit and work in circles is a deliberate one – without a head or tail, no one is more important than everyone else, and if one person drops out, the transfer of optimism, ideas, and work, continues to cycle through the group.

And having been one of many who, over the last few years, helped to grow this international force of young people from all over the world working to stop climate change, I have sat in many of these circles. Fundraising circles, where we helped to raise hundreds of thousands of dollars from supportive governments to fund our work to forge a stronger international climate agreement, and tens of thousands more from our own pockets and organizations to help fund our brothers and sisters from climate-impacted countries to come to the negotiations and show the world how climate change they largely did not create is killing people and nature they depend on. Policy circles, where we evaluate and lobby about complicated issues like forest protection and carbon capture and storage, and where we have scored several small and a few large victories in changing the text of the talks. Communications circles, where we have coordinated some of the thousands of stories and interviews that youth have received.

The latest talks, in Durban, South Africa, were no different. Nearly a thousand youth from almost a hundred countries, including many new faces from across Africa, came to give youth a voice in the negotiations. Here, too, the circles were obvious. All of us, and the African youth especially, were linked to broader circles of youth outside of  the negotiations, and often far away in our home countries. Because we know that, as much as the world needs international cooperation to halt the costs of climate change, it needs help from people right at home, too. And so, while youth would never try to take credit for everything positive that has happened on climate change in the last year, any more than they claim to represent every young person in the world, the advances by California, British Columbia, the United Kingdom, Australia, Mexico, and many others were won in part by hard campaigning by members of the international youth climate movement. Similarly, while Durban did not deliver a strong outcome to stopping climate change, it was at least positive progress overall, and one the growing youth movement will build on.

“Growing” is maybe not even the best word for this movement. Widening might be better. More youth from more countries join every day – nearly every country is now represented. And the scope of  young people putting effort into this struggle is growing too. Young scientists, engineers, soldiers, political conservatives, artists, journalists, and business students show up in our circles in greater numbers every year. Not to worry – we always make our circles with room for more.

Born and raised in sunny California, mosquitoes are a rare nuisance, and definitely not something to be feared. When I decided that I wanted to study the deadly disease malaria, that perspective changed dramatically. My name is Cameron, SPUSA alum from Rockefeller University and current board member. I am currently pursuing a post-doctoral fellowship at the National Institutes of Health in the Laboratory of Malaria and Vector Research. I’ve always wanted a career that allowed me to use my love of science in ways that have a major positive impact on society. I felt that advances in technology were all too often geared at “developed world” problems such as male balding or pathologies related to old age (ages that most of the underdeveloped world will never reach). These desires led me to the NIH, and it is why I switched my research trajectory toward, so called, neglected diseases. Why is the NIH working on a disease that does not impact people in the United States? Historically, the specific mosquito species capable of carrying the parasite Plasmodium Falciparum, the causative agent of malaria, lived here in the United States (as did the disease). It was the advent of the pesticide DDT that lead to the extinction of that mosquito (and malaria) in much of North America; but due to concerns over the ecological impact of DDT, its widespread use was banned. Following suit, many other nations banned the use of DDT, and because of this, under developed countries, many of which are in Africa, continue to be devastated by malaria. The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) has as its priority to research basic mechanisms and methods of protection for all human diseases, among these, malaria. Again, since this is a disease no longer present here in the United States, NIAID has set up research collaboration sites around the world in disease endemic countries. This allows U.S. scientists to liaise with local research staff to bolster country research capacity (through infrastructure building as well as training and resource delivery) and study the disease as it occurs in the people most afflicted.

Here is where I come in. My project is to understand why some West Africans, harboring mutations in genes for red blood cell proteins, are naturally protected from the most severe form of malaria. You may have heard of sickle-cell anemia. It is caused by a mutation that affects red blood cell morphology and has evolved to protect humans from death by Plasmodium. This mutation, along with a handful of similar ones, occurs in nearly 30% of the population in Mali, the country in which that I spend 2 months a year working. This means there is a strong selective advantage to being born with one of these mutations. These children still do become sick after receiving a bite from an infected mosquito (here was that perspective change). My job is to understand what is going on that prevents these children from progressing to coma, and ultimately death, a scenario much too common amongst their red blood cell-normal neighbors. I acquire blood samples from children as they enter our NIAID funded clinics (for free treatment) and isolate the parasites. Using a myriad of biochemical screens, I hope to understand the mechanisms at work that keep the pathogen at bay.

Working in Mali has been a life-altering endeavor.  Not only have I been able to act as a mentor and collaborator to a cadre of dedicated and inspirational Malian research scientists, I’ve gained lifelong colleagues and friends. Working in isolated villages, in less than ideal research conditions, has taught me the true meaning of innovation, as well as alerting me to the much needed niche of novel small, simple and robust rapid diagnostics (a research direction I hope to continue to develop). It is clear to see that science can truly be used for the betterment of human health, but also to spur and bolster international ties. NIAID’s influences don’t stop at the clinic, and it doesn’t end when our research projects are finished. The lab spaces we have built, and the local scientists we have trained will continue to develop their country’s research capacity, and begin a positive cycle of education that will carry forward into the future. For me, now the sight of a mosquito evokes danger, but the sight of blood evokes hope. Inside the blood of the children in our research villages lies the key to factors that can protect millions from succumbing to malaria. There is also much more to be done away from the bench. Improving sanitation as well as delivery of life saving medicines is an essential but non-trivial component to the successful eradication of this disease. Mali has a long history of political stability and international comradery that makes working there easy, but many other countries in need of support do not have proper and unwavering mechanisms in place to duplicate this success. The way forward is not easy and will require policy as well as political changes. SPUSA has taught me to try to think in new ways about how advances in science and technology can impact the world around us. This is the lesson I will never forget to pack on my next adventure.

Nonprofits and student campus organizations play a key role in meeting this educational and societal challenge, but our efforts are currently diffuse and do not serve all areas of the country.  Four organizations recently came together as a first step in building a network to nonprofits working in this field, including

• Student Pugwash, which has engaged students and young people on social responsibility in science and technology for over 30 years through chapters, conferences, and online resources
• the Forum on Science, Ethics, and Policy, which prepares emerging leaders to link science and technology with benefits to society
• the Graduation Pledge Alliance, which is building a community of socially and environmentally responsible graduates through a pledge to social responsibility signed at graduation
• the Science, Technology and Engineering Policy group, a University California, Berkeley student organization which engages students on science and technology policy issues through a variety of campus activities

Our organizations foster grassroots initiatives, which benefit from increased buy-in and dedication from students. We also facilitate ongoing dialogue and engagement outside of the classroom, increasing the amount of time students spend thinking deeply about these issues.  These programs reach students who do not have access to, or are not taking advantage of, formal educational opportunities. Through these programs, the views of young scientists become more nuanced through learning in a safe environment with their peers. It is important to invest in further developing nonprofit leadership in this area to expand access to science, technology, and society education and boost students’ participation from education to engagement.

However, the science, technology, and society nonprofit community has yet to develop the network and shared resources that other organizations working on similar issues (e.g. environmental degradation, nuclear nonproliferation) have formed.  In fact, it is not uncommon for the organizations working in this area to be unaware of the efforts or existence of other nonprofits and educational institutions. (View this map to see the breadth of organizations working in this area.)  Additionally, informal groups rarely partner with formal educators at academic institutions to create a broader educational platform, which is greatly needed to increase access and engagement. Further, funders often concentrate on a single issue area, making it difficult to gain the necessary financial resources to develop programs that cut across disciplines and other silos.  Therefore, the network to be built extends beyond 501(c)3 nonprofits to relevant academic institutions and funders as well.

As a first step in this effort, the organizations featured above recently convened for a panel at the SEI (social and ethical implications of science and technology) Congress at Arizona State University.  We began the conversation with a model of an individual’s journey of consciousness toward social responsibility in his/her career. First, an individual undergoing an internal change in consciousness is sparked to action through an external trigger, such as a formal or informal educational experience. This causes one to commit to oneself, one’s organization, and one’s world and later to develop leadership role.  Each SEI nonprofit offered examples of programs that provide both this spark to action and outlet for ongoing SEI leadership and education.  For example, STEP organizes a journal club, science policy seminar series, and white paper competition; FOSEP hosts discussion sessions and pairs students with mentors; and Student Pugwash guides a chapter network that fosters SEI leaders on their home campuses.  All of the nonprofits shared challenges relating to organizational development, maintaining a continuity of leadership as students graduate, recruiting and awareness raising, and gaining faculty support.  The nation-wide challenge is that students are highly motivated but lack sufficient access to an outlet as our programs are not entirely widespread.

We can meet these challenges by bridging boundaries to build a collaborative network of organizations working in this domain with the goal of increasing access to informal SEI education, providing both the spark to consciousness and outlet for participation. Our work at the SEI Congress was a first step in this effort, but there is much more to be done.  We ask for your support to further this network.  Please start by leaving your ideas and feedback on this post below and email me for more information about SPUSA’s efforts in SEI education and nonprofit networking at smoore@spusa.org.

- Sharlissa Moore is President of Student Pugwash USA and a PhD student in Human and Social Dimensions of Science and Technology at Arizona State University

In 2011, generous supporters like you helped us:

• Support Purdue chapter’s popular Midwest conference on Resources, Information, and Technology for the World
• Design a new Science and Society Fellowship program to expand the opportunities for graduate students working toward socially responsible science and engineering careers
• Bring together four student organizations from around the country to begin collaborating on nonprofit organizations’ roles in Teaching Social and Ethical Implications of Research
• Began engaging our talented alumni network through a series of meetings and happy hours to help shape the future of SPUSA
• Launch a new leadership team, bringing SPUSA back to its student-run roots