Out in STEM

Out in STEM
Name	Out in STEM
Formation	2005
Type	Nonprofit; professional association
Headquarters	United States
Region served	International
Membership	Students and professionals in STEM

Out in STEM is a nonprofit organization that supports lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, intersex, asexual, and allied individuals working in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. Founded in the mid-2000s by students and early-career professionals, the organization organizes conferences, professional development, mentorship, and community-building across campuses and workplaces. Out in STEM partners with academic institutions, corporations, and advocacy groups to increase visibility and career opportunities for LGBTQIA+ people in technical fields.

History

Out in STEM traces its origins to student initiatives and campus organizations addressing workplace inclusion for LGBTQIA+ people in technical fields. Early activities occurred alongside gatherings at universities and national meetings where participants included representatives from Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Stanford University, University of California, Berkeley, and Harvard University. The organization grew as networks formed at conferences connected members from industries represented by companies such as Google, Microsoft, Intel Corporation, and IBM. Influences and collaborators have included nonprofit groups like Human Rights Campaign, GLAAD, and The Trevor Project, as well as academic societies such as American Physical Society, Association for Computing Machinery, and Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers.

Mission and Activities

Out in STEM’s mission emphasizes mentorship, visibility, and career development for LGBTQIA+ people in California Institute of Technology-affiliated labs, corporate research centers, and university departments. The organization promotes inclusive practices used in workplaces at Facebook, Amazon (company), Apple Inc., and research institutions such as National Institutes of Health and Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. Activities include mentorship aligning graduate students with mentors from Yale University, Princeton University, Columbia University, and University of Chicago, as well as workshops modeled after programs at American Institute of Physics and National Science Foundation-funded initiatives.

Programs and Events

The flagship annual conference convenes students and professionals, featuring keynote speakers drawn from institutions such as NASA, European Organization for Nuclear Research, Los Alamos National Laboratory, and Sandia National Laboratories. Programming mirrors career panels held by organizations like Society for Neuroscience, American Chemical Society, and Biophysical Society, with sessions on resume development, grant writing, and interview skills. Regional symposiums have occurred similarly to meetings hosted by Society of Women Engineers and National Society of Black Engineers, often paired with job fairs attended by recruiters from Salesforce, Cisco Systems, Qualcomm, and Tesla, Inc..

Chapters and Membership

Chapters are based at major universities and metropolitan areas, including presences linked to University of Washington, University of Michigan, University of Texas at Austin, and University of Pennsylvania. Campus affiliates commonly coordinate with student groups modeled after organizations at Princeton University and Brown University, while corporate chapters align with employee resource groups at Goldman Sachs, JPMorgan Chase, and Deloitte. Membership spans undergraduates, graduate students, postdoctoral researchers, faculty, and industry professionals, many of whom have connections to programs at Carnegie Mellon University, Georgia Institute of Technology, and University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.

Advocacy and Outreach

Out in STEM engages in advocacy informed by legal and policy developments involving institutions like Supreme Court of the United States, United States Department of Education, and Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. Outreach efforts have partnered with community organizations such as PFLAG, Stonewall Community Foundation, and Lambda Legal, and coordinate voter-engagement and awareness campaigns similar to those run by American Civil Liberties Union and National Center for Transgender Equality. The group also collaborates with scientific publishers and journals associated with Nature (journal), Science (journal), and Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences to promote inclusive editorial and peer-review practices.

Impact and Recognition

Out in STEM has been cited for increasing retention and career advancement of LGBTQIA+ individuals in technical fields, with alumni moving into leadership roles at institutions including Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory, Brookhaven National Laboratory, and companies such as Oracle Corporation and Adobe Inc.. The organization’s conferences and mentorship programs have been acknowledged by professional societies including American Society for Microbiology, Optica (society), and American Mathematical Society. Awards and recognition have come from campus diversity offices, corporate inclusion initiatives, and national honors modeled after prizes from entities like National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine and MacArthur Fellows Program.

Category:LGBT organizations in the United States Category:Scientific societies Category:Professional associations