Contributors
Alison Smith
![Alison Smith](/getattachment/f1e428bf-2741-4c91-ac91-f69799e293be/Smith-Alison-300x300.jpg?lang=en-US&width=300&height=300&ext=.jpg)
Alison (Allie) Smith is a Ph.D. candidate in the genome cell and developmental biology program at Indiana University Bloomington in Justin Kumar’s lab.
Articles by Alison Smith
![2021 holiday gift guide](/getattachment/1b1cd257-4d10-4f9b-ae28-ee58b5593251/Gift-guide-w-red-thumb.png?lang=en-US&width=480&height=270&ext=.png)
Feature
2021 holiday gift guide
Dec. 1, 2021
We hope this science-focused gift guide helps you knock your holiday giving out of the park.
![Pronouns in the classroom](/getmedia/8f08f166-0dbc-4991-86e6-cb06caf035e2/pronouns-thumb_1.png?width=480&height=270&ext=.png)
Diversity
Pronouns in the classroom
Nov. 18, 2021
Ask students their names and pronouns on the first day of class — and then use them correctly.
![Video games keep me from feeling alone](/getattachment/f99681e4-d09a-4f5c-9ee9-1b0f4ee4afb3/world-ment-hth-480x270px.png?lang=en-US&width=480&height=270&ext=.png)
Observance
Video games keep me from feeling alone
Oct. 10, 2021
To mark World Mental Health Day, the author describes how they held themself together in the lead-up to a big examination.
![How a volunteer experience turned me into a lifelong blood donor](/getmedia/ed7f26ce-75fe-4528-870e-92d36fb1c713/blood-dba-thumb.png?width=480&height=270&ext=.png)
Health Observance
How a volunteer experience turned me into a lifelong blood donor
June 15, 2021
As a teen at Camp Sunshine, I learned that one pint can truly save someone’s life.
![Learning to be a science superhero](/getattachment/010f8c0c-8b17-4b21-88ac-82844442be41/Science-superhero-480x270.jpg?lang=en-US&width=480&height=270&ext=.jpg)
Essay
Learning to be a science superhero
Jan. 24, 2021
To mark the International Day of Education, Allie Smith looks back on the experiences that shaped their desire to become a scientist and teach others about science.
![Redirecting my COVID-19 anxiety into service](/getattachment/8abfb975-ce8d-478b-8c16-d51d688f9497/Smith-480x270.jpg?lang=en-US&width=480&height=270&ext=.jpg)
Wellness
Redirecting my COVID-19 anxiety into service
Jan. 8, 2021
When Allie Smith learned that some of her students lacked the technology they needed to keep up with their online classes, she figured that — unlike the pandemic — this was a problem she could do something about.