Scientific breakthroughs are shaping our everyday lives - from health care and food systems to technology, education, energy, and the future of work. But too often, those discoveries stay locked behind paywalls or inside universities and laboratories. Many communities are surrounded by innovation but remain disconnected from the people, ideas, and discoveries changing the world around them. Innovations in Science is here to change that, and you can be part of this change. A program of Pathways to Equity, Innovations in Science will create accessible, community-centered storytelling that helps readers and listeners understand the research and innovation happening around them: who is doing it, why it matters, and how it connects to their lives. What We’re BuildingInnovations in Science is a public-facing storytelling and community engagement platform developed from a collaboration between local newspapers and scientists and designed to make the latest scientific advances more visible, understandable, and locally relevant. Through print and digital publishing, scientist profiles, discovery spotlights, multimedia storytelling, and community-centered features, this program will expand access to the latest scientific advances and give people a chance to understand:
Innovations in Science builds on the ethos and success of the McClintock Letters initiative organized by the Scientist Network for Advancing Policy (SNAP) and co-founded by Innovations co-founder Emma Scales. The McClintock Letters demonstrated how trusted local media can reconnect communities with the researchers and discoveries shaping their future. Innovations in Science expands this model into an ongoing public-facing platform for accessible science storytelling and community engagement.
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Co-founder of Innovations in Science, in the lab (photo credit: Maral Noshad Sharifi for de Volkskrant)
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Erin Morrow PhD candidate in Cognitive Neuroscience at UCLA and founding member of the Scientist Network for Advancing Policy, holding her McClintock Letter, which was published in The Marietta Daily Journal, which serves her hometown, Marietta, Georgia. | In 2025, the McClintock Letters enabled hundreds of scientists to write to their hometown newspapers across more than 45 states about their journeys in science and why their research matters. Today, we are preparing to take this idea further with Innovations in Science. Beginning in Ithaca, NY, and a partnership between the scientists who developed the McClintock Letters and independent local newspapers, we aim to foster a nationwide ecosystem of robust local science journalism. We are developing ties with research institutions and working directly with researchers and local journalists to translate complex ideas into trusted, engaging stories that invite more people into the conversation. Why This MattersScience affects all of us. It influences the food we eat, the medicine we rely on, the technology we use, the jobs being created, and the decisions our communities will face in the years ahead. But public understanding has not kept pace with scientific advancement. Even the communities surrounding and supporting universities, hospitals, labs, and research institutions have few clear pathways to learn about the work happening inside them. That gap matters. When science feels inaccessible, people are left out of important conversations. Young people miss opportunities to see themselves as future researchers, innovators, civic leaders, and problem-solvers. Communities lose visibility and agency in the discoveries shaping their own future. We believe science should not remain siloed. It should be shared, understood, and connected to public life.
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What Your Support Will Make PossibleInnovations in Science exists currently as a regular column in the Ithaca Times , a free local newspaper published in Ithaca, NY. Your contribution will support the development of this feature column into a model that can be replicated at regional hubs throughout the U.S. housed at other independent newspapers local to research institutions. This can be accomplished through the continued establishment of a network of scientist collaborators and local publications. Funds raised will support the hire of a Program Design Coordinator who will dedicate 6 months in a part-time capacity to manage:
We are building the foundation now: publication templates, editorial workflows, partnership strategies, sponsorship pathways, and pilot content. Your support helps move this initiative from planning into expanded engagement.
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PhD candidate at Cornell University, working in a research vineyard |
Why Pathways to Equity?
Why Pathways to Equity?Pathways to Equity exists to strengthen the connections between education, science and innovation, workforce development, media, civic engagement, leadership, and equitable opportunity. Based in Ithaca, NY, Pathways to Equity is a 501(c)3 nonprofit already doing this work by supporting local independent journalism, fostering connections between local colleges and the community, and providing support for burgeoning local professionals.
Innovations in Science brings those pillars together.
By partnering with researchers, universities, local media, students, educators, and community organizations, we are building a bridge between institutions and the public - one story, one profile, one discovery at a time.
Our long-term goal is to create a model that can grow from its first pilot communities into other innovation-centered regions, helping more people see science not as something distant or reserved for the elite, but as something connected to their lives, their neighborhoods, and their future.
We Can Make Innovation Visible
The future is being shaped by science, research, and innovation every day.
But the future should not be shaped behind closed doors.
Help us bring science closer to the communities it impacts. Help us create pathways for young people, educators, civic leaders, curious readers, and everyday community members to better understand the discoveries shaping their cities and their lives.
Donate today to support Innovations in Science.
And if you cannot give right now, you can still help by sharing this campaign with educators, researchers, students, institutions, civic leaders, and anyone who believes science should be more visible, accessible, and connected to the public.
Prefer to donate by check or want to support the Innovations In Science mission in a more significant way? Please email community@innovationsinscience.com.
Who We Are
Roy AllenCo-Founder · Director of Strategic Partnerships, Ithaca Times Roy is the Director of Strategic Partnerships for the Ithaca Times, and he runs the non-profit organization Pathways to Equity, which houses Innovations in Science among other community-oriented projects. His work supports local arts, independent journalism, day camps and various development programs for central NY kids, and broadly enriches the vibrant community of Ithaca and the surrounding area.
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 | Emma ScalesCo-Founder · Ph.D. Candidate, Cornell University Emma is a biologist studying fungal-bacterial symbioses, currently completing her Ph.D. at Cornell University. Beyond research, she has been deeply engaged in science advocacy — helping create the Scientist Network for Advancing Policy (SNAP), a nationwide coalition of early career researchers pushing for change both within the scientific community and its relationships with lawmakers and the broader public. In her free time, she moonlights as an oil painter, fly fisher, and cat mom. |
"Innovations in Science” Is a project of Pathways to Equity, a 501(c) 3. Contributions are tax deductible up to the fullest extent allowed by law.
