DEVELOPING A ROBUST DEPARTMENTAL OUTREACH PROGRAM

Why do science if we don’t share it? As scientists, we need to hone our communication skills in order to contextualize our research on a fundamental level so that it is interesting and accessible for people outside our academic network. This promotes the understanding of scientific processes, builds new connections, and broadens the impacts of our research beyond the scientific community. The University of Minnesota’s Earth & Environmental Science department is developing a coherent outreach program in order to teach and excite the broader public about the current research taking place at the University. We hope to create connections between the University and the community, inspire students of all ages to pursue their curiosities, and find new ways to explore the impact of scientific research. We are building this program to diversify our outreach activities, include more people within the department, and support and recognize the various branches of ongoing outreach. We present several examples of outreach efforts that communicate our department’s scientific research in non-traditional ways. This expands our audience outside of a publication in a discipline-based journal or conference session, and brings cutting edge research into the hands of the general public.