Tell us about yourself.
I’m Noah Santos, A botany researcher from the University of Washington turned tech worker in Seattle. I joined ESAL in early 2026 as a Local Engagement and Events Coordinator on a volunteer basis. The pursuit of knowledge and research around STEM is one of my lifelong passions, and the ESAL mission of engaging STEM expertise in local engagement and civics is something my values are strongly aligned with.
What did you do?
I helped organize and coordinate the first of hopefully many more local Seattle Civic STEM Meetups, held in downtown Seattle on June 30th 2026. It was an event we co-hosted with oSTEM: a non-profit organization for LGBTQ+ professionals in the STEM ecosystem. The goal was to give STEM professionals and experts a place to meet like-minded folks and discuss the ways we can get engaged in local action and civics.
What Happened?
Through contacting our ESAL and personal networks, we managed to gather a decently sized crowd of like-minded STEM professionals and experts in a cozy brewery. Ice breakers, short discussions about civic engagement, and serious networking all took place over drinks & good vibes.
Being the first event of this kind for our chapter, we treated this event as a dry run of sorts with a pleasantly high turn out. We learned a lot about coordinating future events like this, and created a post-event survey to gauge network interest and what they would like to see at future events moving forward. Chief among these interests being the objective of the meetings themselves; with many participants indicating guided discussion being the primary thing they would like to see at future events.
Moving forward, we have a much finer resolution on the types of events our local Seattle area would want us to host, and are continuing to work towards making these meetups a regular occurrence.
What did you get out of this experience?
Hope, mostly.
As a green horned volunteer in this sort of space, it was especially affirming and validating to meet so many new STEM professionals with similar sentiments and perspectives on STEM, local politics, and the need to get active and engaged in our local communities.
The conversations and connections formed at this event have already proven to be invaluable, and are building towards something special in our area. After only a single meetup event, the networking has allowed many participants (including myself) to find more volunteering opportunities, and further connect with like-minded folks that could potentially loop back into the ESAL fold. Similarly, a couple of participants have already formed professional relationships with one another, meeting up individually to provide professional guidance and career advice. I am looking towards the future with utter excitement of what’s to come, and continuing doing what I can to get as many like-minded folks engaged in civics and local engagement.
