Why is science outreach important

It often takes time for an outreach program to get off the ground, and usually takes several iterations to get the kinks out of the program. Use the feedback to improve the program.

It is a good idea to conduct various types of evaluations. These include pre- and post- event surveys to assess changes in specific content knowledge or attitudes; collecting demographic data; reflective feedback and Interviews.

School curriculum development for teachers skills needed: knowledge of the school curriculum areas relevant to your research area :. Effective Public Outreach.

How to Get Started Determine your goals. Develop a Plan. What is the most efficient and cost-effective way to achieve your main goal? What are your strengths and experience? Do you need training e. Consider forming an advisory group to help with different aspects of planning and delivery e.

Do you need to conduct a risk assessment? In the UK, for example, working with groups of vulnerable adults or with children requires specific paperwork and disclosures. Develop a good evaluation system and use the feedback to improve your activity. Science outreach programs are very welcome, but to be effective, they must include incentives for teachers and better training for scientist volunteers. This April, in a speech to the National Academy of Sciences, President Obama announced new initiatives for science research and education and challenged scientists to use their knowledge to think about creative ways to engage young people in science and engineering and to improve student achievement in math and science.

Although scientists should heed this call to action and do their best to engage young students and educators, true change will require both better incentives for teachers to buy into these reform efforts and more systematic training and incentives for scientists to participate in educational outreach.

Several reports indicate that US primary education in mathematics and science needs a boost. The state of science and math education has increasingly attracted the attention of not only policymakers and educators but also scientists and engineers. As a result, there have been several initiatives aimed at taking professional scientists into the classroom, with the assumption that this involvement will improve public science education, both by providing better science content and, more critically, by allowing students to imbibe an inquiry-based learning process from those working at the bench.

Such outreach programs would also seem to benefit scientists. Many scientists have been dismayed by policy decisions that are not based on good scientific evidence and have despaired at science taking a back seat in the public discourse of issues that affect them—be it animal rights activism, stem cell research or the teaching of intelligent design in schools.

Aiding educators in teaching good science and instilling in children an interest in and understanding of how science works would help create a future taxpayer base that has a positive impression of publicly funded research. Critically, by helping bring inquiry-based teaching methods into schools, scientists would presumably be able to foster critical thinking in the next generation.

Recently, many more scientists have become involved in attempts to improve public science education. Programs designed either to provide basic science content and creative science teaching tools to teachers or to encourage scientists to form partnerships with their local schools have mushroomed across the country.

Nick Spitzer, the head of the Society for Neuroscience Public Education and Communication Committee, says that that there has been an increase in the number of members involved in science education outreach efforts as evidenced by participation levels in SfN's public education programs. SfN has launched the NERVE virtual encycloportal and recently announced a Wiki initiative aimed at making basic neuroscience information more accessible to educators and pupils.

Several universities run outreach programs with their local schools—volunteering scientific expertise at science fairs, running teacher training programs or arranging for scientists to visit classrooms.

SfN also maintains a list of members who are interested in forming scientist-teacher partnerships with local schools. Undoubtedly, these content-delivery tools could aid dedicated teachers who have the enthusiasm, drive and resources to access and take advantage of creative ways to introduce science in their classrooms.

Aside from your parents, I would bet money that there was a teacher involved. The art of teaching is no small feat, and those that have mastered it are worth their weight in gold. Teachers are invaluable creatures in their ability to make learning fun and accessible and are especially necessary for keeping interest in STEM subjects alive and well.

So, why is it that once we are established as scientists we close ourselves off from aspects of teaching? Outside of a few summer students, most labs do not participate in any science education, and it kills me. This is such a shame, because now WE are the experts! Importantly, it is our responsibility as experts in our respective fields to share our knowledge any way we can.

If my impassioned speech on our duty to the masses has not inspired you to search for science outreach opportunities, here are three specific reasons why you should change your mind:. This truth bomb is even more dismal when you factor in decreased lack of government-sourced science funding on the whole—now it REALLY seems like no one cares.

One of the biggest reasons for lack of science interest is a lack of passion and communication from someone truly invested in the topic. Not only will your excitement be contagious, you may also be able to convince the public that your research is worth their philanthropic efforts. Unfortunately, as we are all aware, a lot of this information is garbage. Without the wherewithal or expertise to discern between pseudo and real science, most scientific concepts are completely misrepresented by mainstream public.