What I am about to say is especially important for all the new members. I want to make this very clear because I respect all of our members and I want everyone who joins to be confident in us as a group and know what this is and could be. Josh Willms (the advisor of the organization) and I are very new to this. That being said, there will be hiccups along the way. There will be a learning curve, and there will be many changes along the way while the organization's foundation is being established and as the organization grows stronger and larger. We ask y'all to be patient with us and give any suggestions y'all have regarding RFC. Any help y'all can give would be appreciated. Now, we started RFC in order to spread awareness on misunderstood topics in a way that can be understood by anyone and to allow members that join to be able to gain research experience by composing synthesis papers, infographics, and other types of media. Through these different products and by sharing them on social media, RFC can accomplish its' goals. Now that RFC has so many members, we can be much more and have a much greater influence in our communities and even across the world as I know some of y'all are from different cities, states, and even countries as well.

 

We want to give everyone an opportunity to gain research experience. With so many members, this may be difficult at times. In that, we will constantly be developing more research topics outside of COVID-19 (this being our first major initiative) and coming up with new ideas where all members can have the opportunity to participate in research. That is what I hope this organization becomes: a group that eventually becomes a large organization that promotes research to those who seek it and a place of innovation where volunteers can go to seek out opportunities of various kinds. We still plan on hitting COVID-19 hard because of the current pandemic. With all of your support, we should be able to make a difference!

 

I want to place emphasis on the fact that this group will be what the members make of it. Josh and I can only take this group so far alone. You guys will be the deciding factor in what this group becomes. With that being said, there are a few things that I want to mention before you decide to join the organization: 

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If you are a member of RFC, you will need to be an active member to stay in the organization. There will be a point system implemented in order to gauge the activity of the members.

We want the members count of RFC to represent members whose aim is to help produce products that can be shared with the public and that have joined the organization to participate in the activities of the organization. If you want to join the organization any other reason other than to help the organization accomplish its main goal of spreading awareness, RFC may not be for you.

As a member of RFC, you will need to maintain communication with the members of your projects and respond promptly to messages from RFC leaders if you are contacted. 

As a member of RFC, you will need to keep up to date with what's going on at RFC through our communication platform, Slack.

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Additionally, one of the most crucial things RFC needs is mentors that have a PhD so that any synthesis papers we are able to write have the highest chance of being published and so they can give the organization guidance. Research in itself is good for an application so no matter what, your active participation in RFC will be good to put on a medical school app or any app or resume regarding research. This all in mind, being in this group does not insure publication of papers. There is no promise of that. Our main priority is to spread awareness through infographics and other media that can be easily shared. T

 

This group has become something bigger than I originally thought it would be, and if it continues to grow y'all could be some of the pioneers to a great organization. Now that all of this is out in the open and all misconceptions are dispelled, if y'all ever have any questions, please do not hesitate to ask me!

 

-Malachi (RFC President)