Maximizing the Potential of K12 Outreach as a Launchpad for Inclusivity In the Geosciences

Abstract:

K12 outreach provides an important avenue for university earth and environmental science departments to address the underrepresentation of minorities in geoscience fields. Studies have shown that interest in the major and perception of available jobs in the field are the highest ranked factors in the selection of a college major by high school students (Sherman-Morris & McNeal, 2016), and that increased representation of racial minorities could be achieved through community outreach efforts by colleges and universities (Stokes, 2016; Reinen & Kortz, 2019)

The Department of Geological and Environmental Sciences at Appalachian State University has always welcomed small groups to tour its campus geology museum and rock garden, but over the past five years, has ramped up outreach efforts and transitioned from providing occasional tours of facilities, to regularly hosting school groups of 100+ students, participating in large events at museums and other community sites with several thousand attendees, offering free classroom kits and professional development workshops for teachers, and even launching a mobile outreach classroom to visit schools that cannot come to us.

Efforts to expand outreach capacity need to be gradual and intentional with program sustainability at the forefront. These efforts have yielded worthwhile results for our department such as broader faculty participation, being able to support underserved communities lacking in science education resources, invitations to annual community science events and school career days to raise geoscience awareness, new and renewed grant funding, and offering our students opportunities to develop their science communication skills.

In this panel discussion we will present our “Picture Yourself as an Earth Scientist Photo Booth” project, funded by an AGU Centennial Grant, as well as some of the ways that have helped our department achieve our outreach potential and reach more diverse audiences. These include: having a team member with a science education background help with broader impacts of grant proposals, involving undergraduate students in outreach activities through paid internships, volunteering and courses with service learning requirements, and partnering with college access programs on campus and community organizations.