Behind STEM MUN for Changemaking

Welcome back to Asia in Science! Yes, you’re probably reading that after over two months of radio silence. And I’m proud of that. For we’ve built something extraordinary, gritty, grounded, and chaotic.  

It’s called STEM MUN for Changemaking, the first-ever international Model UN conference by Young4STEM that brought together diplomacy, science, and purpose. And over the last few months, I’ve had the privilege (and pressure!) of serving as the Secretary-General. I’ve always believed that STEM isn’t just about labs and equations; it’s about power, equity, climate, and geopolitics. It’s about who gets access to clean water, vaccines, broadband, and AI tools. And what better way to explore these conversations than through diplomacy? So we launched STEM MUN for Changemaking to create a space where students, regardless of where they’re from, could debate Mars colonization, climate engineering, and nuclear policy, and also fund real change (more on this in the next blog!) while doing it.

The Work Behind the Screens. (Organising this was no walk in the park)

• Reviewed hundreds of delegate applications: Behind every "Congratulations, you're accepted!” and answer to every type of question was someone excited just as on the first day.
  

• Conducted dozens of chair interviews: we wanted to form the strongest executive board possible.
  

• Created three unique committees, including a futuristic Mars Terraforming Crisis Council, from scratch, with original agendas, roles, and narratives (I promise, they weren’t your traditional UN rooms).
  

• Wrote ROPs, guidelines, and some background guides, formatted schedules, handled registrations, and drafted outreach emails, entirely from the ground up.
  

• Designed every single visual, post, certificate, and presentation slide, sometimes from my phone at midnight, sometimes on 2% battery.
  

• Built and moderated our own WhatsApp community to manage real-time updates, support, and interaction.
  

• Fielded dozens of daily queries, including the 300th “how do I apply for a waiver?” message with as much patience as the first.
  

• Hosted 9 international guest speakers, from Meta engineers and UN specialists to field biologists and AI leaders, who joined us live from across the globe.
  

• Welcomed 100+ delegates from over 42 countries, all debating STEM topics that genuinely matter: nuclear ethics, geoengineering, biosecurity, and more.
  

• Survived technical hiccups & heartbreaks, from a Google Meet recording glitch to an opening ceremony where no one saw past Slide 1 (yes, that happened).
  

• Spent countless sleepless nights asking myself the hardest question of all: Will this actually work?

All in all, it did. People from 42 countries made STEM MUN for Changemaking, truly changemaking. One thing I was absolutely uncompromising about was access. I know what it feels like to see an opportunity you care about and realise the price tag locks you out. I made it a point to ensure that cost would never be a barrier at STEM MUN. I personally reviewed every single fee waiver request, responded to dozens of emails, and made sure that anyone who wanted to join could. In the end, we granted waivers to delegates from across continents because talent and passion aren’t defined by payment. And honestly, the voices we heard from those very delegates were some of the most powerful in the room.

I don’t like listing things out, but that’s what building something looks like. If you want to hear more, I’ve talked about all this (and more!) on an upcoming podcast episode with Paula, which drops tomorrow.

Before I wrap up, a few well-deserved shoutouts: To Alica & Stella, for supporting the vision. To Ctibor, for managing the behind-the-scenes and tech support. To Sharayu, who handled outreach with quiet consistency. To Hanna, for her aesthetics, creativity, and templates. To Serah, for guest speaker confirmations at the eleventh hour.

And to Sunandan, Ajinkya, Rithyuth, Thanakrith, Faria, Farah, Amir, Dr. K.M., Mabelle, and Bhavya, thank you for making this first edition something we can all be proud of.

This is Part One of a two-part blog series. I’ll be sharing something exciting in the post-conference debrief, and no, this isn’t some forced cliffhanger (but hey, if it hooks you, maybe it genuinely is!).

For now, thank you for still being here. For believing in slow, intentional work.

More soon, Mihika

---

Designed by @motley.designco (https://www.instagram.com/motley.designco) mun@young4stem.com