Academy Ambassador Community Guidelines

Fueled by our mission of advancing scientific research, education, and policy, the global STEM community is at the heart of everything we do at the New York Academy of Sciences. We know that diversity is a critical driver in fostering and accelerating creativity and innovation in STEM and we welcome Ambassadors joining us to promote the belief that collective action in science and technology can be the world’s most powerful force for change. As we work together to build a more inclusive, science-literate society and inspire new generations to pursue careers in STEM, we ask that you keep a few things in mind when posting to social media as a volunteer Academy Ambassador:

• Represent your views as your own. When you post to social, it's important that your followers understand that your posts are your own.
  • If you mention that you are an Academy Ambassador in your Twitter bio, or elsewhere on social media, please make sure to also include language such as “The views expressed here are my own” or "Views are my own".
  • Make every effort to respect copyright law by not presenting other’s work or materials as your own.
    
    
• Avoid posting material or engaging in social media activities that are discriminatory, abusive, harassing, or defamatory. Academy Ambassadors help to support a global STEM community where all people are meant to feel safe to participate, learn, and contribute regardless of their background or identity. To this end, please work with us to build inclusive spaces by refraining from the following unacceptable behavior:
  • Posting harmful or hurtful posts containing hate speech related to an individual or group’s background, family status, gender, gender identity or expression, marital status, sex, sexual orientation, native language, age, ability, race and/or ethnicity, caste, national origin, socioeconomic status, religion, geographic location, and other attributes.
  • Bullying, harassing, and/or making personal attacks or threats towards an individual or a group of individuals.
  • Doxing, or sharing an individual’s private information or aggregating their public information for the purpose of intimidating them through harassment.
  • Spamming people or groups by posting repetitive comments or unwanted private messages.
    
    
• Help foster collegial and professional discussions. As a community dedicated to communicating rigorous scientific information to improve the lives of others, we hope you will uphold community standards of civility and courtesy.
  
  
• Do not use the Academy logos for endorsements. Do not use the Academy name or logo to promote a product, program, interest group, or political party or candidate on personal or professional sites or social media.
  
  
• Please limit your Academy Ambassador activities to social media. We’re excited to have you on board as a volunteer Ambassador for science literacy, but it’s important not to inadvertently create the perception that you are an Academy employee or official spokesperson. For that reason, we request that you limit your representation of yourself as an Academy Ambassador to your social media feeds. Please do not, for instance, list the Academy as your organizational affiliation at events or represent yourself as an Academy spokesperson to members of the media.
  • When listing your volunteer work as an Academy Ambassador on your CV or resume, make sure to list it as a volunteer activity and not in any other capacity.
  • Academy-issued digital badges will show up as a “Certification” on sites like LinkedIn. Accordingly, please only list Ambassador volunteer activity as a certification if you're adding your Academy-issued digital badge directly to your LinkedIn profile. Otherwise, Academy Ambassador participation may also be listed in the “Volunteer Experience” section of your LinkedIn profile.
  • Sample LinkedIn profile below:

If you engage in activities that run counter to these guidelines, or other behaviors we deem harmful to this community, we reserve the right to remove you from the Academy Ambassadors program.

If you witness any violations to these community guidelines, or you believe yourself to be the target of unacceptable behavior as outlined above, please email us at community@nyas.org to make a report. Additionally, if you feel you’ve been unfairly accused of violating these guidelines, or if you have any questions about these guidelines, please contact us at the email address above. Your input about this program is always welcome.

Thank you and we look forward to building a stronger scientific community with you.