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Science Saturdays: A Simple Science Outreach Model to Achieve Broad Impact

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  14 March 2011

Ainissa G. Ramirez
Ainissa G. Ramirez*
Affiliation:
Department of Mechanical Engineering & Materials Science, Yale University, New Haven, CT 06520
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Abstract

The National Science Foundation (NSF) evaluates grant applications based on two criteria: intellectual merit and broader impact. The broader impact criterion (BIC), or the science outreach criterion, is intended to connect science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) research to the general public, and has grown in its relevance for successful grants. A method to increase the competitiveness of a grant application and, in turn, the quality of science outreach programs is to suggest successful science outreach models for connecting scientists to the public. Science Saturdays is a fun science lecture series for the general public that is a simple, scalable, and transferable model. Its main mission is to introduce participants to excellent communicators of science and to shatter stereotypes about those who do science. It aims to inspire and motivate children as they traverse the STEM pipeline by emphasizing that science is fun. This paper discusses the elements needed to create this outreach program and the lessons learned from its development.

Keywords

government interactionseducationgovernment policy and funding
Type
Research Article
Information
MRS Online Proceedings Library (OPL) , Volume 1320: Symposium XX – Materials Education Development and Outreach—From K-Grad , 2011 , mrsf10-1320-xx01-03
Copyright
Copyright © Materials Research Society 2011

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