Meet AnnaBeth Thomas, 2024 STEM Public Service Fellow


AnnaBeth Thomas is a 2024 WISCIENCE
STEM Public Service Fellow and a PhD candidate in environmental chemistry and technology. She previously attended Austin College in Sherman, Texas, where she double majored in environmental studies and chemistry. Her research focuses on environmental arsenic detection with ultimate applications in water contaminant monitoring. She is also interested in the connections between science and social justice issues, and is passionate about incorporating social justice topics into environmental science education. Outside of her studies, she loves spending time outdoors, enjoying the lakes, horseback riding, spending time with her cats Ollie and Gene, creating new recipes, and crafting.

What has been your favorite part of the STEM Public Service Fellows program so far? 

I have loved exploring a field I didn’t really know much about beforehand. I feel like I’ve also gained a lot of connections with other folks interested in the intersection of community engagement and science. It’s been nice to expand my professional network and see what opportunities exist in this area that I wasn’t previously aware of.

What are you looking forward to doing in this program?

I’m excited about the practicum in the fall and demoing out some materials I get to create for the course I’m teaching. I’m a little nervous to teach again, since it has been a few semesters, but I think this will be good for me and will help me engage more deeply with the content. I’m really excited to learn from the students I’m teaching as well.

What are some of your career goals and how do you think this program will help you achieve them?  

I would like to work in environmental research for a little bit after completing a postdoc, and then I aim to teach at a predominantly undergraduate-serving institution. I care a lot about how environmental science is taught, and I think that students would ultimately benefit from incorporating community engagement into traditional science courses. I believe it shows the tangibility of science in “real life” and can encourage more student interest in STEM by demonstrating alternative approaches to how science can benefit communities outside of the lab. This program is helping me understand the community engagement piece, since I am trained as a scientist and not someone currently involved in community-engaged research. It’s already been a stepping stone for me in creating more concrete goals about my future endeavors as a science professional.

What is one of the most valuable things you have learned as a Fellow? 

Scientists can get involved with community-engaged work in more ways than through research. I really value the self-reflection and career exploration components of the fellowship experience. It was helpful to learn about policy exploration in STEM and what that looks like, because I always wondered how that would work. I feel like the content from the course also directly aligns with what I’ve been wanting to learn about in order to inch closer to reaching my goals.

What is something surprising or unexpected that you’ve experienced as a Fellow?

The way the course is designed is different from traditional STEM classes I’ve taken in graduate school, and it’s very refreshing.

What excites you about community engagement? 

I love engaging with students about content and helping them get excited about their interests.


Learn more about
STEM Public Service Fellows.