LEAH Knox Scholars Program
Contact: Mandana Sassanfar: mandana@mit.edu  

This is a two-year program with hands-on lab experience and mentorship for low-income high school students of color providing a foundation for science education in college and beyond.Volunteer opportunities in the program include: (1) mentoring one or two Leah Knox scholars biweekly during the academic year (20 hrs / year); (2) meeting for one hour over the summer to discuss career path (faculty), college application (undergrads and grads) (<5 hrs / year); (3) to give lab tours (anyone doing research in a lab) (<5 hrs / year); or (4) to give a lecture (preferably faculty) (<5 hrs / year).

School tours and mentoring for middle and high school students
Contact: Jill Crittenden | jrc@mit.edu 

The McGovern Institute for Brain Research sponsors one-on-one mentorship and lab research internships for students >16 years of age. In addition, local organizations may arrange lab tours and demos guided by MIBR researchers.

Sagrado-MIT Neurosscience Pre-College Program (SNPP)
Contact: Hector DeJesus-Cortes | hdejesus@mit.edu 

SNPP is a summer internship and mentoring program designed for students in grades 9 to 11 who are interested in pursuing a career in science, technology, engineering and/or math (STEM) with a focus in neuroscience. Students spend two weeks at the University of Sagrado Corazón and two weeks in the Cambridge area. The program consists of one online lecture (June/July) for students in Puerto Rico and ongoing mentorship to summer students. Volunteers include mentors, speakers for in-person seminars and lab-guided tours from lab members.

Application Assistance Program
Contact: bcs-aap@mit.edu for the Department of Brain & Cognitive Sciences (BCS) or eecsgaap@mit.edu for the Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science (EECS)

The Application Assistance Program is a volunteer-based, student-run initiative to help applicants get on to their PhD career by providing feedback on their application materials and answering questions related to the graduate program. Volunteers may sign up for virtual office hours, panel discussions, and other mentoring opportunities with prospective students.

Conference Outreach
Contact: Farrah Belizaire | Farrahab@mit.edu

Volunteers are needed to attend and participate in outreach at the Society for the Advancement of Chicanos/Hispanics and Native Americans conference and the Annual Biomedical Research Conference for Minoritized Scientists. These take place each year in late October/early November. Volunteers speak with prospective graduate students about the application process and overall life at MIT.

Mind/Brain Course
Contact: Ted Gibson | egibson@mit.edu

In partnership with minority-serving institutions including Howard University and Florida International University, MIT faculty organize and teach a course in neuroscience. Volunteers are needed for two 80-min online lectures to Howard University students in the Spring semester.

MIT Summer Research Program (MSRP)
Contact: Mandana Sassanfar | mandana@mit.edu

MSRP is a 10-week summer research-intensive training program in all fields of neuroscience to non-MIT undergraduate students majoring in all STEM fields. Volunteers are needed for weekly mentorship meetings in June and July while the scholars are on campus for the summer.

Research Scholars Program (MSRP)
Contact: Josh McDermott | jhm@mit.edu

RSP is a two-year post-baccalaureate program for outstanding recent college graduates from underrepresented and disadvantaged backgrounds who plan to pursue a research career in neuroscience, cognitive science, computational neuroscience or neuroengineering. Volunteers are needed to serve as graduate student/postdoc advisors for weekly mentorship meetings. Scholars participate in the program as part of a two-year commitment.

BCS Refs
Contact: bcs-refs@mit.edu   

The BCS “Resources for Easing Friction and Stress” is a confidential student-run counseling service advising students in the department. Volunteers can participate in coffee hour and one-on-ones to listen, help their peers solve problems, and help them get in touch with other resources at MIT that may help to address any issues impacting their experience at MIT.To learn more, visit: https://bcsrefs.mit.edu/what-we-do. 

Community-Building Working Group
Nancy Kanwisher | ngk@mit.edu 

The purpose of this working group is to promote and encourage opportunities to foster a more inclusive building culture by supporting initiatives which bring together members of the Building 46 community in meaningful ways, honoring our diverse identities, subdisciplines and departmental roles (faculty, staff, students, postdocs). Volunteers participate in a few meetings each semester to coordinate and/or lead Building-wide social events (game nights; cookies, coffee and science; etc.)

Community of Practice
Contact: Farrah Belizaire | Farrahab@mit.edu

The Community of Practice is a group of Building 46 affiliates (graduate students, postdocs, faculty & staff) who meet twice a semester to share best practices, learn from each other, build peer-to-peer accountability, problem solve, innovate, test out ideas and strategies, and identify consistent DEIJ themes across the building. Volunteers represent their labs/departmental units at two 1-hour meetings each semester, held in both the Fall and Spring semesters. They also serve as representatives to their respective groups, and may be asked to share important information and strategies back to these groups.

Rising Stars Committee
Contact: Ila Fiete (fiete@mit.edu) and Steve Flavell (flavell@mit.edu) 

Each semester, the Rising Stars Award will recognize postdoctoral candidates of exceptional scientific merit and highlights the importance of diversity and broad representation in the brain and cognitive sciences.Volunteers may be asked to participate in a meeting in January/February to nominate candidates for the Fall Rising Star colloquia, in addition to supporting the outreach process to invite speakers.