The National Science Foundation requires investigators to address the “broader impacts” of research in science, education, and society. NSF considers significant contributions in this area to include education and outreach activities designed to enhance scientific and technological understanding and to foster connections between research and service to society. Yet, organizations optimized for research and teaching often lack the expertise, tools, and resources for carrying out these activities, and lack connections to community-serving organizations and audiences intended for these kinds of engagements. It is for this reason that NSF offers the suggestion of partnering “with museums, nature centers, science centers, and similar institutions to develop exhibits in science, math, and engineering,” to “involve the public…in research and education activities,” and to provide “science and engineering presentations to the broader community.” [1] This sensible-sounding advice nonetheless offers little guidance to materials science and engineering researchers in the actual planning, design, implementation, and evaluation of effective educational outreach partnerships. This MRS Symposium proceedings briefing, preliminary to a more extensive treatment of the topic, presents particular aspects of the case for pursuing such partnerships as well as some suggestions for ensuring their effectiveness. The author is a Co-PI of the NSF Nanoscale Informal Science Education Network (NISE Net) and also manages three long-term NSF and NIH-funded research center partnership programs in place at the Museum of Science, Boston.