THE POWER OF COLLABORATIVE INFORMAL SCIENCE EDUCATION FOR COMMUNITY OUTREACH

Community outreach starts with seizing opportunities to share knowledge. Activities led by faculty and students from Kalamazoo Valley Community College (KVCC) at the Kalamazoo Rock and Mineral Show, an event that offers informal geoscience education, helped to excite participants about geology. KVCC student involvement at the show helped the students to learn about community outreach. It allowed the students to engage with the participants and practice communicating science to the public. These experiences are essential for students to develop communication skills necessary in the workforce as well as a chance for networking with others in the field.

A serendipitous meeting with a community member at the event led to the development of an annual STEAM AHEAD Back to School education event at a local playground called the Children's Nature Playscape (CNP). Planning the event demonstrates the power of collaboration among faculty and community partners that transformed the CNP into a place filled with excitement, curiosity, and wonder through informal STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Mathematics) education. This event was an excellent example of how teamwork can create an interactive educational event for the community. From an early age, exploring nature and being exposed to STEAM fields cultivates curiosity and gives kids a sense that they belong in the STEAM fields. Learn how informal, hands-on activities taught a young audience about the mysteries of science. Participants received written materials for each activity with resources to continue to learn at home. This event combined geology, chemistry, physics, and biology to open the children's and parents' minds to the science around them. Both community events are a testament to the college's integral role in bringing science education to the community. Science can seem intimidating to those who are not scientists. Meeting with science faculty and students in an informal setting allows community members to connect with science.