Education Outreach and Public Engagement

The purpose of this series is to provide resources related to teaching and career development for faculty at all stages of their careers and to scientists considering careers in industry. Young faculty [or graduate students and post docs thinking about going into academia] will find valuable information about how to design a course, how to find the right job, including academia and industry, and how to incorporate undergraduate research into their programs. Future volumes will be focused on a wide variety of topics including grant writing, how to incorporate service learning and outreach into the curriculum, mentoring and how to work towards increasing diversity in both the classroom and the college or university. For more established faculty interested in career development, or who are considering changes in career direction, such as transitions to industry, or who are simply interested in keeping up with new pedagogy, future volumes will include ones dedicated to "navigating the tenure and promotion process", being an effective department chair, developing courses for non science majors, assessing student learning and changing careers midstream. Written by acknowledged experts, each volume will provide practical guidelines geared towards faculty in a variety of institutions as well as discussion of problems and potential solutions facing both academics in the life sciencesand those working in industry. Whether you are at a land-grant institution with an articulated mission to translate research to the public or your child's second grade class is studying butterfly development, there are a whole host of reasons to get involved in public education about science. University expectations for promotion and tenure and recent mandates from federal agencies are requiring that scientists engage the public in a meaningful way. Yet, most scientists receive little if any preparation about how to do this. The programs, tools, and resources featured in this monograph will assist scientists and scientists-in-training in enhancing public awareness and understanding of science and considering its applications and implications. TOC:Why? Identifying the Impetus for K-12 Outreach and Engagement.- Who and What? Defining the Scope of K-12 Outreach and Engagement.- How? Developing the Plan and Making it Happen.- How Well? Evaluating K-12 Outreach and Engagement.- Sharing the News.