BROADER IMPACT ACTIVITIES OF THE PANAMA CANAL PROJECT: ADDING VALUE AND EXPANDING THE REACH OF STEM RESEARCH AND EDUCATION IN THE U.S. AND LATIN AMERICA

Broader Impact (BI) activities are important to NSF-funded projects, both in terms of the Merit Review Criteria, but also because these promote science literacy and education. This poster describes the activities of the Panama Canal Project (PCP), funded through the NSF PIRE (Partnerships in International Research and Education) program. The PCP PIRE has capitalized on a once-in-a-century opportunity to advance knowledge of ancient Neoptropical biodiversity as a result of the current expansion of the Panama Canal. The PCP also seeks to develop institutional partnerships and the next generation of STEM professionals in the U.S. and Panama. Our strategy for developing BI activities includes: (1) advancing discovery and understanding while promoting teaching, training, and learning; (2) broadening participation of underrepresented groups; (3) Enhancing infrastructure for research and education; (4) broad dissemination to enhance scientific and technological understanding; and (5) overall benefits to society. We include STEM content (mostly geology and biology) from the Panama research in UF courses, and also teach classes in paleontology and biodiversity at universities in Panama. We involve high-school STEM teachers in RET activities in Panama. The PCP PIRE has a proactive recruitment plan that has successfully engaged underrepresented groups, particularly from Latin America. We are helping to develop natural history exhibits to be displayed at the new BIOmuseo and also have developed a bi-lingual web site on fossil sharks from Panama geared towards kids. We disseminate the activities and results of the PCP PIRE via a web site, e-newsletter, and talks to civic organizations. In April 2012, we featured an exhibit about the PCP at the U.S. Science Expo in Washington D.C. where visitors could talk in real time with paleontologists working in the field along the Panama Canal. We expect that the outcomes of our BI strategy will include enhanced knowledge of the ancient biodiversity and geology of the Panama Canal, a segment of the public that better understands paleontology and Neotropical biodiversity, sustained international partnerships in research and education, and a better trained and more globally competent next generation of scientists better able to contribute to society during the 21st century.