Genetics Society: Editor-in-Chief of Blog

Hey everyone! Genetics society has been a blast this year, and I want to keep contributing to this society’s blog to increase engagement with our members!

I’m very passionate about science communication and accessibility - I believe anyone can effectively explain very complex concepts in compelling ways. I also have extensive experience with a range of science media in my roles as Kinesis Magazine’s Creative Director, UCL Biology Society’s Social Secretary and my departmental newsletter’s Editor-In-Chief. I’m no stranger to the editing and publication process, and I would love to continue developing my skills in this position.

If elected, I plan to…

📝Compile monthly or bi-monthly newsletters on the latest breakthroughs in genetics. We all want to keep up with current trends in science, but let’s be honest most of us don’t have the time to read literal papers. Every month, I’ll be reading around 3 articles gaining a lot of attention, and condensing them into short pieces for members’ enjoyment.

🐸Include more ecology, zoology, plant and conservation focused articles. There’s been a focus on human genetics and neuroscience which is great, but diversity never hurts!

🎇Finally, obviously read and edit all your amazing articles on the things you love about genetics and what you find fascinating about ongoing research!

I got the experience, organization and initiative to continue evolving this amazing blog, so please consider voting Meera for Editor-In-Chief!

I've really enjoyed Genetics Society this year, both as an interim committee member, and by attending events. I would be really excited to take this further by best applying my skill set to the GenSoc blog.

I joined UCL science after studying an essay subject for two years at Oxford, so my eye for grammatical correctness is especially sharp. I have kept up this skill as a sub-editor at Era Journal, another society at UCL. This means I am used to the quick turnarounds of writing deadlines, but also the expectations of readers and contributors alike.

As Editor-in-Chief of the blog, I would ensure a consistent style and engaging presentation for all writing that best serves the people who work so hard to produce articles. This relates to another of my goals; as Interim Social Events Officer, I met so many interesting people who had something to say about Genetics and its related fields, and I want to use this experience to connect with encourage people to take their place in the discourse around scientific discovery, which is so active at UCL. Having been on the committee makes me confident in my ability to do this, as I always enjoyed working together with them at events.

Overall, this is a really exciting part of GenSoc that slightly differs to the normal in-person activities, making it a great way to attract new members. As Editor, I would work closely with the core committee to use this medium to solidify GenSoc's online presence and bring in as many new voices as possible!

Throughout my life, writing is something that has always held great significance for me. It could simply be brainstorming ideas, coming up with stories set in fictional worlds that may mean nothing to most people or writing transactionally - all of these aspects involve the same core principle that I have always thoroughly enjoyed, yet I knew at the same time that I had a passion for all-things science too. Communicating its vast complexities to other people, whether they know or do not know the science behind something, is such an important responsibility to have: sharing the passion for science I have in enabling everyone I communicate with to better understand the world around us, through the genetic perspective.