Our first publication in this area was a perspective “On the Importance of Mental Health in STEM,” in which we describe common mental illnesses, identify risk factors, and outline symptoms. We intend to provide guidance on how some people can cope with stressors while also giving advice for those who wish to help their suffering friends, colleagues, or peers. We hope to spark more conversation about this important topic that may affect us all─while also encouraging those who suffer (or have suffered) to share their stories and serve as role models for those who feel they cannot speak
On the Importance of Mental Health in STEM
C. W. Pester, G. Noh, and A. Fu. ACS Polymers Au 2023, 3, 295.
Project on Mental Health Literacy
In collaboration with Prof. Dr. Sarah Schäfer (TU Braunschweig) and Prof. Dr. Klaus Lieb (Leibniz Institute for Resilience Research), we are studying the mental health of graduate students and faculty. This project was initially funded by the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation. More details can be found on our project website.
Mara Meinzer (TU Braunschweig, Germany)
B. Sc. in Psychology: Julius-Maximilians University Würzburg, Germany
Mara was born and raised in Munich, Germany. She graduated from Julius-Maximilians University Würzburg in March 2023 with a B. Sc. in psychology. Her undergraduate research focused on the perception of discrimination. Mara is currently doing her Master’s Degree in Clinical Psychology at the Technische Universität Braunschweig. For her thesis, she is investigating mental health literacy among STEM faculty. In her free time Mara likes to take long walks, go to the gym, play the guitar or violin and care for her plants.
Alina Thiele (TU Braunschweig, Germany)
Alina was born in Zurich, Switzerland and grew up in Germany. She now lives in Braunschweig, Germany, where she is studying Psychology (B.S.) with a clinical focus at the TU Braunschweig. She is currently working on her bachelor thesis with Prof. Dr. Christian Pester and Sarah Schäfer on the importance of mental health in STEM. To take care of her own mental health, she sings in the university choir and would recommend music to everyone as a great way to „blow off steam“.
Rowan R. Terra (Duquesne University, USA)
- B.S. in Biological Sciences, University of Pittsburgh
- M.A.T. in Science Education, University of Pittsburgh
- Ph.D. Candidate in Biological Sciences, Duquesne University
- ORISE Research Fellow at DOE-NETL-PGH
- Co-advised by Dr. Nancy J. Trun and Dr. Djuna M. Gulliver
Rowan is a Ph.D. Candidate and ORISE research fellow investigating biogeochemical phenomena related to critical mineral recovery from unconventional sources. Their work answers multidisciplinary questions through field studies, microbiological techniques, analytical chemistry methods, and artificial intelligence approaches. Rowan is collaborating with the Pester Group on data preprocessing and acquisition for projects aimed at assessing mental health literacy in STEM faculty. When outside of the lab, Rowan enjoys gardening, hiking, and cat herding.