Wednesday, August 9, 11 :30 am-1:15 pm
Organizers: Alice Levine, Carla D'Antonio

It’s important for graduate students and scientists early in their careers to learn how to communicate and work with the non-science community, and this can be achieved by incorporating educational outreach in their research studies.

Have you ever thought about incorporating educational outreach in your research? GK-12 or related science outreach programs are becoming more commonplace in universities, providing opportunities for graduate students and professors to interact with young students. For individual researchers though, it's difficult to integrate these experiences into their own studies if they don't have the resources, know-how, or support from a larger outreach program. However, it's vital for individual scientists to learn to better communicate and continue working with the non-science community, instead of just with other scientists. Making this transition is the next great leap to developing a society that values, supports, and rewards interactions between scientists and laymen. Don't miss this workshop! All of these issues and more will be discussed by a panel of professors, graduate students, and educational outreach program coordinators with varying levels of experience integrating students and laymen volunteers into their research.

Schedule Overview:
In discussing the primary theme (title), the following topics (and others) will be addressed:
1. What kind of experience should you start with before undertaking educational outreach, and where is the best place to begin looking for information on how to achieve this?
2. What are the goals you need to keep mind – for yourself and for the students – when undertaking educational outreach?
3. How do you establish working relationships with young students and laymen volunteers?
4. What kind of permission or paperwork is necessary to get before you can work with these people?
5. How do you find the right balance of give-and-take between educating and receiving help from these people?
6. What kinds of funding venues are there to support educational outreach (broader impacts) within scientific research?
7. What kind of facilities or equipment do you need access to, if at all?

Panelists:
1. Alice Levine, Coordinator & Moderator
2. Caleb Gordon, Professor, Lake Forest College
3. Jennifer Skene, Grad Student, UC-Berkeley, Exploring California Biodiversity Program
4. Joel Abraham, Grad Student, UC-Berkeley, Exploring California Biodiversity Program
5. Cindy Wilbur, Educational Outreach Coordinator for Jasper Ridge Biological Preserve