Candidate 1: Kristen Adams,  Science & Engineering Librarian, Miami University Libraries

I’m interested in co-chairing STEMIG to help the group and its members grow. As a relatively new Interest Group, continuing to build an active membership base and community of STEM librarians in Ohio should be a priority.  Additionally, assessing the needs and interests of current and potential members should also be a priority. One way I’d like to see us do this is through continuing our webinar series and focus on topics that would facilitate knowledge sharing and skill building for our members. I envision a combination of webinars with designated speaker(s), and a few informal "coffee hour" type open discussions on topics of interest expressed by membership. I’d like to see us do a few of these sessions a year, and feel that even when things normalize, keeping them virtual would make it easier for members to attend. However, there is something to be said for an in-person meeting to help members build more substantive relationships, which may be something we can look forward to organizing in the coming year.

Candidate 2: Evan Meszaros, Research Services Librarian, Case Western Reserve University

I think of STEMIG as a warm and welcoming community of people who understand — oftentimes more closely than colleagues at our own libraries — the particular challenges we, as academic STEM librarians, face in our jobs. I've also found STEMIG to be a valuable resource that encourages idea-sharing and the opportunity for collaboration and professional development at the local level. As a co-chair of STEMIG, then, I would work to foster these qualities in order to build on the IG's successes (e.g. our periodic open discussions, our newsletter, our conference round table), while also pursuing a greater engagement from our STEM colleagues around the state. I propose that the latter could be achieved by following an approach that my co-chair and I from the Sustainability IG (SUSIG) found to be successful over the past year: inviting members (or members paired with non-member experts) to periodically present to the IG on topics that are relevant to their work — whatever area within STEM librarianship that might be. With so much to keep track of (e.g. newly-released STEM-specific IL Frames; the need to implement DEI/anti-racist practices into our profession; the increasing need for systematic review services outside of the health sciences; the growth of OERs in STEM curricula; etc.), I suggest that there are more than enough topics to both sustain the attention of our current membership and also grow our numbers.

Nathanael P. Davis, STEM/Business Librarian, Cedarville University

Let's start with my interests.
- First and foremost, I enjoy being at the nexus of  transition in a student's life, that is STEM-related academic engagement for youth bridging between highschool and college and the undergraduate senior moving into the profession or additional schooling.  Right now this means working with a local K-12 STE(A)M Academy, supporting our own in-college Campus Now initiative for high schoolers, and developing a network of post graduate opportunities for students.

- Beyond these, I am an avid birder and hiker. I love to get out on the lake with my kids, dive into nature, go fishing out of the family canoe or race to the top of hills for a better view of the sunset. I am a naturalist educator by training and would love nothing more than spending all my time walking the woods, playing, discovering and dreaming. :)

- Moreover, early summer has me deep in one of my favorite activities... gardening! Right now, I am busy preening weedy invaders and nurturing early starts to become full blown fruits and veggies.  

- Finally, I am spending time in one of my other passions: technology! Currently, we are busy developing digital content for the start of fall courses.  The plan is to return all services to full, "normal" practice... As such, we have quite a bit of in-person and hybrid content to freshen up or create from scratch. This means I get to engage with digital media, video editing and curriculum development... all of which I dearly love.

In terms of possible projects, I have categorized these based on three areas: inter-institutional outreach, in-person academic collaboration, and liaison librarianship
- Inter-institutional Outreach: I would love to focus on projects that relate to shared successes/best-practices which support strong relationships with various institutional offices and programs to enhance our own success as liaison librarians. This would be outreach with departments that work directly in student success (writing centers, tutoring services, information technology office, etc.)

- In-Person Academic Collaboration: I would like to focus on projects that relate to direct collaborative work with faculty and students, such as discussions around starting/enhancing collaborative research/grant project support efforts with faculty or strengthening student research consultation impact and student success in the research side of technical writing/project development.

- Liaison Librarianship: I would like to focus on more opportunities to share tools, tips and trends we have found that improve efforts at instructional delivery, assessment and long-term-impact... as well as conduct cross-discussions with other liaison interest groups which may allow fresh perspectives in all of the above mentioned efforts for institutional outreach, personal academic collaboration, and integration of tools of the trade for greater professional development.