# Presentation: 307277

## Including Education and Outreach in Your Proposal:How to Make It Meaningful and Make It Happen

**Cynthia Hagley**, Minnesota Sea Grant
**Rochelle Sturtevant**, Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory

## It’s a “Sticky Wicket”*.....

- Funders looking for “broader impacts” of research, and...
- Scientists being asked to participate in education reform, but....
- Outreach and education activities still seldom rewarded in tenure or graduate student development process

*****A wicket is, of course, the playing surface used in cricket. This phrase is a direct allusion to the difficulty of playing on a wet and sticky pitch. http://www.phrases.org.uk/meanings/334550.html

## Barriers to Outreach*

**Graduate Students**
- Lack of time
- Lack of information about outreach opportunities
- Lack of support from advisor or department

**Faculty**
- Lack of time
- Lack of information about outreach opportunities
- Lack of value to department

*****Andrews, E., A. Weaver, D. Hanley, J. Shamatha, and G. Melton. 2005. *Scientists and Public Outreach: Participation, Motivations, and Impediments.* Journal of Geoscience Education 53(3):281-293.

## Faculty Outreach* 

- Most likely to do outreach if:
- Already had tenure
- Committed to volunteering in their community
- Had young kids in school
- Been approached by colleague or outreach liasion

- lakesuperiorstreams.org

*****Andrews et al. 2005

**Notes:**
Most frequently reported outreach activity for researchers faculty members and grad students was giving presentations. Another big one was science fair judging. 3rd acting as teacher resource or tutoring.

## Why Outreach?*

- Desire to contribute
- Responsibility for                 betterment of society
- Correct public misconceptions
- Increase teacher and student science literacy
- Gain insights into public attitudes and perceptions

*****Andrews et al. 2005

## More* Reasons to Do Outreach

- Attract new scientists
- Improve teaching/communication skills
- Have fun
- Public support for science funding
- Stay in business – funders want it

*****Pragmatic

## Types of Scientist Outreach*

- Presentations (almost 50%)
- Tutoring
- Science fairs
- Act as resource for teachers
- Help with professional development

- *Andrews et al. 2005

- http://www.maharishischooliowa.org/images/ph_5_science_top.jpg

**Notes:**
Chan Kook Kim found in a survey of IAGLR participants that roughly 60% have done a presentation at the K-12 level but less than 30% have been engaged in other types of partnering activities.

## IAGLR Survey*

- ~60% of respondents have done presentation at K-12 level
- <30% have worked closely with an educational partner

*******Chankook Kim, Ohio State University and others**

## What are Funders Looking For?

- NSF –**broader impacts** resulting from  activity _and_ help **reform **science and math **education**
- NASA – “significant emphasis on delivering the **benefit **of research endeavors **to public audiences**”
- EPA – results disseminated broadly to enhance scientific and technological understanding; **benefits to society**

**Notes:**
how the project will integrate research and education by advancing discovery and understanding while at the same time promoting teaching, training, and learning; ways in which the proposed activity will broaden the participation of underrepresented groups (e.g., gender, ethnicity, disability, geographic, etc.); how the project will enhance the infrastructure for research and/or education, such as facilities, instrumentation, networks, and partnerships; how the results of the project will be disseminated broadly to enhance scientific and technological understanding; and potential benefits of the proposed activity to society at large. Examples illustrating activities likely to demonstrate broader impacts are available electronically on the NSF website. 

## “Broader Impacts”

- “Broader Impacts”

- Advance discovery and understanding while promoting teaching, training and learning
**Include students (K-graduate****)** as participants in your proposed activities....
- Participate in the **recruitment, training,**** **and/or **professional development** of **K-12** science and math teachers.

## “Broader Impacts”

- Broaden Participation of Underrepresented Groups
- Participate in **developing new approaches** to **engage underserved** individuals, groups, and communities in science and engineering.

## “Broader Impacts”

- Broad dissemination to enhance scientific and technological understanding
**Partner** with museums, nature centers, etc. to **develop exhibits.**
- Publish in **diverse media** to reach **broad audiences.**
- Present results in formats useful** to policy-makers, members of Congress, industry, broad audiences**.

## “Broader Impacts”

- Benefits to Society
- Demonstrate the linkage** **between discovery and **societal benefit** by providing specific examples and explanations....
- Analyze, interpret, and synthesize **results** in formats **understandable and useful for non-scientists**.
- Provide information for **policy formulation** by Federal, State or local agencies.

## Connections

**Research**

- http://www.worldslaves.citymax.com/i/Ball-n-chain-guy_Rubberball.jpg

## Overview

- How do you design the outreach component?
- How can you find outreach or education partners?
- How do you budget for it?
- Examples that work

## What We’ve Often Seen .....

- Graduate student outreach =
- We ask researchers to contact the appropriate Sea Grant outreach person while preparing full proposals

**Notes:**
Most frequently reported outreach activity for researchers faculty members and grad students was giving presentations. Another big one was science fair judging. 3rd acting as teacher resource or tutoring.

## For Example...

- Austin et al. –                 Adapting numerical circulation modeling tools for classroom use
- Research-quality numerical circulation model for Lake Superior, Chesapeake Bay, etc.
- Classroom instructional materials
- Developed in cooperation with teachers

**Notes:**
We intend to significantly lower these barriers to use by developing an engaging, modular graphical front end which will allow a user to interact, in real time, with a research-quality numerical circulation model. As part of this development, we intend to actively develop classroom instructional materials appropriate to both high school and undergraduate education. 

## Strategies for Success

- Scientists more willing to do outreach* if:
- Administrative aspects of outreach are coordinated by others
- Activities and time commitments are clearly defined
- Scheduling is flexible

*****Andrews, et al. 2005;** **Waldman, A., L. Schechinger, and J. Nowick. 1996. A coordinated chemistry outreach program for thousands of high school students. J. of Chemical Education (73):762-764; O’Neil, D. and L. Gomez. 1996. Online mentors: experimenting in science class. Educational Leadership (54):39-42.

## Connections

## The Good News.....

- We’re here to help
- COSEE
- Sea Grant outreach/communication staff
- State NOAA coastal programs
- Museum and aquarium staff
- Curriculum directors
- State and local natural resource management agencies

## “Ay, There’s the Rub....*

- Outreach organization budgets are getting tighter and tighter
- Coordination of outreach for soft money grants requires funding
- Estimate 5-10% of the research budget**

*****William Shakespeare: *Whether 'tis nobler in the mind ....perchance to dream: ay, there 's the rub.* The use of "rub" in this and similar passages refers to a friction or impediment to smooth going. _[http://www.phrases.org.uk/bulletin_board/27/messages/342.html](http://www.phrases.org.uk/bulletin_board/27/messages/342.html)_
******_**[www.tos.org/epo_guide](http://www.tos.org/epo_guide)**_

## Why Is It Worth It?

- The funders want it...
- Together, we can improve science literacy and environmental responsibility by
- Developing meaningful, results-oriented outreach and education to help communities better manage environmental resources

## Successful Partnerships that Work

- COSEE Great Lakes
- Lake Superior Streams and the Regional Stormwater Protection Team

**Notes:**
Austin et al. – Adapting numerical circulation modeling tools for classroom use. We intend to significantly lower these barriers to use by developing an engaging, modular graphical front end which will allow a user to interact, in real time, with a research-quality numerical circulation model. As part of this development, we intend to actively develop classroom instructional materials appropriate to both high school and undergraduate education. 

## Lake Superior Exploration Workshop

|  |  |  |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Sun | Geology
Ojibwe history | Geologist
Archaeologist |
| Mon | Watershed impacts | Stream ecologist
GIS specialist |
| Tue | Lake Superior limnology | Limnologist
Zooplankton ecologist
Fisheries biologist |
| Wed | Coastal wetlands | Fisheries biologist
Wetland ecologist |
| Thu | Climate change
Shipping and invasives | Landscape ecologist
Biologist |
| Fri | Teacher presentations |  |

## Lake Superior Exploration

- Most highly rated aspects:
- Presentations by **scientists**
- Interaction with colleagues
- Field activities with **scientists**
- Discussion time with **scientists**

## Lake Superior Streams

## St. Louis River

## A Focal Point

## Regional Stormwater Protection Team

- Coordinated educational programs, fund raising, and technical assistance

## Linking research and monitoring to understanding to action

- Bringing It All Together

## Connections

**LakeSuperior Streams.org**

**UMD, U of M, NRRI, Sea Grant**

**Regional Stormwater Protection Team**
**Weber Stream Restoration Intiative**
**WLSSD discharge **
**Poplar River TMDL**
**Bi-state volunteer monitoring**
**Site design toolkit**

**Stream restoration research**
**Rain garden research**
**Stormwater BMP research**
**Mercury research**

**Curriculum**
**River Watch**
**Teacher training**
**Informal educators**

**Community leaders**
**State and local agencies**
**Stormwater managers**

## Practical Advice.....*

- Consult your funder/program officer for guidance!
- Get real! You can’t do it all. Focus.
- Link up! Partnerships are key.
- We can help!
- Listen!
- Respect for our professionalism will help you achieve your goals.

*****Broader Impact: Guidance for Scientists about Education and Public Outreach. EOS 86(12). 22 March 2005

**Notes:**
Consult your funding agency and program officer for guidance!  ... expectations regarding broader impact differ among and within agencies.

Get Real! Striving to serve all the needs of all audiences is usually impractical. It is wise to set realistic goals and to seek the advice of an EPO specialist to help you set those goals.

Link up!  Partnerships are key to success.  Just as you might employ analytical specialists, engineers, or computer programmers to assist with technical facets of your research program...consult educators, communications specialists, and other professionals in EPO undertakings.  - While 60% of GL Scientists participating in the COSEE survey report making a presentation to K-12 audiences, less than 30% work with an educational outreach partner.

Listen! Just as you are the expert when it comes to the science, educators are experts in their field. Respect for educators’ professionalism will go a long way toward achieving your goals.

## Resources

- COSEE Great Lakes http://coseegreatlakes.net
- Lake Superior Streams www.lakesuperiorstreams.org
- Education and Public Outreach – A Guide for Scientists www.tos.org/epo_guide