From this piece by CIRES authors and colleagues, the braided river framework allows us to perceive varied pathways into and within STEM careers and to better appreciate evolving occupational goals, and opportunities for lifelong continuing education. We aim to normalize the idea of individuals changing pace and direction as circumstances and opportunities arise, and create support structures that accommodate and empower people.
Rebecca (Bec) Batchelor is an atmospheric scientist and educator with a focus on mentoring, undergraduate research, and building supportive communities to increase participation in STEM. A proud Kiwi, Bec did her PhD research in atmospheric physics at the University of Canterbury in Christchurch, New Zealand. Her research career led her to spending more than three years in the Antarctic and Arctic, working in Canada and the US. Over the last ten years she has turned her focus to diversity and inclusion in education, running the Significant Opportunities for Atmospheric Research and Science (SOARS) program at the National Center for Atmospheric Research in Boulder Colorado, serving as a Co-PI of the Sparks for Change project focused on supporting early career minority faculty, and most recently, serving as an adjunct professor in support of the Puerto Rican Outstanding Undergraduate Diversified Program at the University of Puerto Rico Humacao, where her focus is on faculty development.
