Out in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (oSTEM) is a national society dedicated to educating and fostering leadership for LGBTQA communities in the STEM fields. The national society has been built by students, for students. We started as a single chapter in 2005, and today we encompass more than 50 chapters across the country.
As we conduct our work, we are guided towards a shared future: we envision a world where all members of the STEM community can pursue their work in a safe and supportive environment that celebrates their contributions and differences.
As an organization dedicated to community, our work starts with our mission. It serves as a touchstone and reminds us of our common goals:
• To educate, empower, and engage a diverse community,
• To identify, address, and advocate for the needs of LGBTQA students in the STEM fields,
• And we fulfill these needs through mentorship connections, networking opportunities, strategic collaborations, and professional/leadership development.
We conduct our work with a shared sense of community and are proud to say that:
• We value our members
• We value students as peers and colleagues
• We value reciprocal mentorship
• We value diversity of thought and diversity of being
• We value the contributions of underrepresented gender and sexual minorities, as well as those of our allies
• We value prioritizing everyone who is underrepresented, even within LGBTQA communities
• We value opportunities to partner with other organizations toward common goals
• We value and encourage research from within and around our community
• We value paying it forward