Science communication fellowship programs as gatekeepers

Abstract

Science communication fellowship programs act as gatekeepers to the skills and opportunities they provide scientists and science communicators. In this role, they may either resist or reproduce inequities present in society at large. We conducted interviews with 25 US-based science communication fellowship directors representing 23 programs to investigate (1) what types of capital these programs provide to fellows and (2) what rules and norms may shape access to these programs. Our results suggest that these programs connect fellows to rich forms of cultural and social capital in the form of experiential learning and mentorships. However, access to these programs is likely shaped by forms of infrastructure, literacy, and community acceptance. Maintaining the status quo in these organizations may not be enough to resist social inequity, and we finish this article with a call for reflexivity and actionable transformation within these programs.