Doing Better: Addressing Community Educational Disparities through Student‐Led Outreach
Authors: Jiang Rina , Tischendorf Karlie , Hart Orla M. 
Published: May 2022

One of the many lessons we have learned over the last two years is that there is significant science illiteracy and mistrust in science in many US communities. The Purdue University undergraduate chapter of the American Society for Biochemistry (PU‐ASBMB) has designed a service‐learning outreach project that will further the ASBMB’s and Purdue’s goals of promoting equity and access to learning in the community, and engaging undergraduates in the social responsibilities of science communication. In the past, outreach efforts have achieved most positive feedback and engagement from schools that were already considered advantaged, or privileged. We hypothesize that because the COVID‐19 pandemic has exacerbated the preexisting racial and socioeconomic disparities present in underrepresented communities, there is an increased awareness of the knowledge‐ and opportunity‐gaps faced by many marginalized members of our communities, both by student‐members and by community stakeholders. Furthermore, we propose that this will create a need for more effective partnerships between Purdue University and the Greater Lafayette Community. Creating these partnerships is critical to addressing the disparities in access to science‐related educational opportunities. The objective of this service‐learning research project is to partner PU‐ASBMB with the Greater Lafayette community to foster greater engagement with marginalized populations of K‐8 students and their families.

Preliminary Results

Based on our 2021 project proposal, the PU‐ASBMB has succeeded in partnering with the Hanna Community Center’s after‐school program which involves 26 K‐6th grade students from 7 schools in low‐income districts (www.hannacntr.org). The mission of the Center is “to provide quality services, programs and community interactions for the surrounding neighborhood and beyond” and to “celebrate traditions throughout the Greater Lafayette area while preserving the culture, heritage and history of African Americans and minority groups.” By integrating hands‐on experiences aligned with statewide learning outcomes, conducting interviews, classroom observations, and reflections of students and staff, our program will be evaluated to further address the needs of those underrepresented in the Lafayette community, such as those raised in low‐income families, as well as the Latinx, African American, and other marginalized populations.

Conclusions

Drastically reframing the priorities of the PU‐ASBMB has allowed us to effectively engage with populations within our community with whom we can have a significant impact. Immediate feedback from stakeholders, both at Purdue and at the Hanna Center indicate significant support for this program. These findings support the execution of sustainable service initiatives to provide targeted support for diverse students in the local community. Future work will include pursuing these outreach opportunities, while also educating the Purdue community on the importance of recognizing their responsibilities in giving back to, and supporting the Greater Lafayette Community, without which Purdue would not be a world‐class higher institution for higher education.