Mel Ortiz-Alvarez

My first children's book! 📚 Written, illustrated and printed in Puerto Rico 🇵🇷

An Afro-Caribbean girl finds her joy for science by exploring her island + easy experiments kids can try at home 🔬

Pre-order: www.cienciapatodes.org/libro

1 book sold = 1 donated to low-income children in PR
#booksky

January Opportunities for Aspiring PhDs, MDs and all in between! Are you an undergrad or grad student interested in STEM careers? Check out these opportunities!

Happy New Year!! Start 2026 off right with a look at these great opportunities for aspiring PhDs, MDs and in betweens!

If you like these resources, make sure to subscribe to my free #substack to get more monthly 🥰

microbephd.substack.com/p/january-op...

#gradschool #stem #phd

Dr. Nonterah's new book is full of practical, realistic and motivational advice for someone looking to pivot into a non-academic role.

I can't wait to start putting her recommendations to work as I transition from my #PhD into my own #medcomms and #sciencewriting career.

#gradschool #bookreview

I had fun writing about this interesting #humanities article that looked into how we talk about the #microbiome and the promises that language makes!

If you enjoy think pieces of #stem narrative, definitely check it out!
#microbites #science #scicomm #sciencewriting #socialscience #nature

We couldn’t get people interested in science - until we started speaking their language In 2020, Puerto Rico faced a misinformation crisis. Melanie Ortiz Alvarez De La Campa reveals how five STEM undergraduates created a sci-comm organization that helped pass legislation, educated thousa...

The Caribbean scicomm organization that I co-founded, Ciencia Pa' Todes, was featured today in #TheMicrobiologist by @amiposts.bsky.social

We have done so much as a small group and I'm proud of the impact we continue to have every day 💜

Check out our work at: cienciapatodes.org

#scicomm #stem

Documenting achievements isn't bragging Why I always write about my achievements in grad school and how it's saved my mental health

#Gradschool will drive you crazy, especially if you only focus on the negative. In this week's #Substack I opened up a bit about my experience navigating self-doubt & imposter syndrome during my PhD. If you feel similarly, I encourage you to read it 🫂💕

#academicsky #BlackinMicro #Stem #scicomm

November Opportunities for Aspiring PhDs, MDs and all in between! Are you an undergrad or grad student interested in STEM careers? Check out these opportunities!

November is full of opportunities for aspiring scientists and doctors! Check out a list of them on my #Substack newsletter!

open.substack.com/pub/microbep...

#gradschool #funding #academicsky #stem #science #scicomm

Monthly SciComm WrapUp: October 2025 A brief summary of what fun sci-comm things I did in the month of October!

It's again time for my monthly wrap up! If you're a scientist looking for ideas on how to get more involved, check out what I've been up to in October as a PhD candidate 🥰✊🏾🔬🦠 #scicomm #stem #gradschool #substack #sciencewriting

There's perks to going straight to a PhD, like becoming a doctor at 27 😎 This also means I've spent almost my entire 20s in school. But, it's been a wild ride! Countdown begins...! #gradschool #stem #phd #diml #phdlife #academicsky #boricua #phdcandidate #microbephd

Why did Mr. Puerto Rico dress as a bat? Mr. International Puerto Rico made a great choice for his cultural costume!

New #Substack out today!! Read more about why I think the Mr. Puerto Rico costume for Mister International 2025 was a fantastic choice and some of the fun science behind bats in Puerto Rico 🇵🇷 🔬🧡🎉

open.substack.com/pub/microbep...

#mrinternational #scicomm #sciencewriting #bats #puertorico #stem

Gut Inflammation Disrupts Hormone Signals and the Brain Reproductive hormones in male mice are susceptible to gut inflammation during early life.

I interviewed a professor at the University of British Columbia about her recent work showing that inflammation during early life can lead to disruptions in the endocrine system and the microbiota.

micro-bites.org/2025/09/22/g...

#scicomm #sciwri #sciencewriter #microbiome #endocrine

Excited to be a panelist again for this free #scicomm training!! If you are a researcher looking to improve your communication skills, definitely check it out 👏🏾❤️

Monthly SciComm WrapUp: September 2025 A brief summary of what fun sci-comm things I did in the month of September!

September is ending, so here is a brief wrap-up of what I was up to this past month as a PhD candidate interested in science communication 🎉😍🇵🇷

#substack #scicomm #scipol #gradschool #phd #stem #academicsky

I'm always grateful to see well-researched, science non-fiction books trending among general readers. It's a great introduction into the subject and brings more awareness to a forgotten, neglected disease.

Thanks @johngreenbluesky.bsky.app ❤️ 😊 🫂

Reader's Digestion: "Everything is Tuberculosis" What I am reading/listening to as a PhD candidate working on the neuromicrobiome.

I'm back with a new #ReadersDigestion on #Substack! This time, I'm reviewing "Everything is Tuberculosis" by John Green.

If you are into brief science book reviews, check it out here: microbephd.substack.com/p/readers-di...

#scicomm #johngreen #everythingistuberculosis #bookreview #bookrec

Absolutely! I didn't even know research was a career option until my sophomore year of college. That's why I think it's so important to help high schoolers learn about STEM early! :) It really sets them up for success

My mentee just published his first peer-reviewed article as a high school senior!🦠🔬 🎊

It's been a privilege to see how much he grew as a research over 9 months.

Read it here:
ajosr.org/papers/volum...

¡Seguimos! 👏🏾🇵🇷

#teaching #mentoring #research #gradschool #scicomm #sciencewriting #academicsky

Breaking the Grass Ceiling: CBD Improves Female Depression A new study shows CBD treatment helped decrease symptoms of depression in mice consuming a high fat diet.

📣 New MicroBites!

Breaking the Grass Ceiling: CBD Improves Female Depression 👩

A new study shows CBD treatment helped decrease symptoms of depression in mice consuming a high fat diet. 🐭 🦠

Honored to be mentioned among such incredible people! Thanks for the shoutout ❤️🫂👏🏾 #scicomm

Monthly SciComm WrapUp: August 2025 A brief summary of what fun sci-comm things I did in the month of August!

August is over, which means it's time for a wrap-up! Check out what #scicomm things I was up to in the past month.

microbephd.substack.com/p/monthly-sc...

#sciencewriting #gradschool #scipol #stem #phd #academicsky #Substack

September Opportunities for Aspiring PhDs, MDs and all in between! Are you an undergrad or grad student interested in STEM careers? Check out these opportunities!

New month, new opportunities!! Check out my list of monthly opportunities for current and aspiring #STEM grads!

microbephd.substack.com/p/september-...

#gradschool #academicsky #research #opportunities #substack

High-Dose Probiotics Improve Mood in Stress Model Combined treatment with Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium improved stress-related depression and anxiety in mice.

📣 New MicroBites!

High-Dose Probiotics Improve Mood in Stress Model 🐭

Combined treatment with Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium improved stress-related depression and anxiety in mice. 🦠

Monthly SciComm WrapUp: July 2025 A brief summary of what fun sci-comm things I did in the month of July!

July is almost over, and that means it's time for a scicomm wrap-up!! I got some much done this month, including an exciting announcement 👀

Read more here: microbephd.substack.com/p/monthly-sc...

#scicomm #stem #gradschool #academicsky #blackinmicro #latine #teaching

High-Dose Probiotics Improve Mood in Stress Model Combined treatment with Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium improved stress-related depression and anxiety in mice.

I wrote about a really interesting #probiotic paper from Ghana! They saw that combining probiotics improved #mood symptoms in mice just as well or even better than antidepressants 👏🏾 Read more over on #MicroBites!

micro-bites.org/2025/07/25/h...

#stress #blackinmicro #scicomm #sciencewriting

Science behind Bad Bunny's DTMF A short dive into some of the scientific concepts present in his latest album

New #Substack today in honor of #BadBunny's concert in #PuertoRico 🎓🇵🇷🔥😎 microbephd.substack.com/p/science-be...

#sciencewriting #stem #science #gradschool #scicomm

I just taught high schoolers in a course I designed!

We discussed misinformation & transforming science into accessible media + guest lectures from #GeoLchat & #CienciaPaTodes

In 4 days, they made comics, infographics, blogs, videos & websites! ¡Seguimos! 🔥👏🏾🇵🇷 #scicomm #stem #teaching #gradschool

July Opportunities for Aspiring MD/PhDs & PhDs! Are you an undergrad or grad student interested in STEM careers? Check out these opportunities!

July will have some very cool opportunities for folks interested in #STEM! Check out some of them on my #Substack newsletter.

For more updates and regular opportunities in your inbox, subscribe for free ☺️❤️ microbephd.substack.com/p/july-oppor...

#scicomm #academicsky #academia #research

Monthly SciComm WrapUp: June 2025 A brief summary of what fun sci-comm things I did in the month of June!

Celebrating the last day of #pridemonth with a wrap-up of all the wonderful #scicomm activities I was able to do this month.

Take a gander over on #Substack if you are looking for inspiration in volunteering opportunities within science 🦠🔬

microbephd.substack.com/p/monthly-sc...

A Brief History of the NSF & Why We Need It My thoughts on why the National Science Foundation matters, as a GRFP fellow

As an #NSFGRFP fellow, it's been really concerning to see comments from people on social media saying that public funding of science is "wasteful".

When we protect science, we protect our future! Get involved now 👏🏾
#nsf #nih #science #substack #scicomm

microbephd.substack.com/p/a-brief-hi...

What the Gut’s First Residents Say About Baby’s Brain Health Newborns’ first gut microbes may predict social development at 6 months, revealing early links between microbiome and brain health.

I love writing about new studies looking at the gut brain connection! 🧠 🦠 The article I wrote for MicroBites this month is precisely about that, this time about a clinical study with infants Rio 👶

Read it here:
micro-bites.org/2025/05/23/w...

#scicomm #stem #gradschool #microbiome #sciencewriting