Investments in outreach can improve diversity and trust in science
Northwestern’s Science in Society program promotes mentoring and STEM learning for children from kindergarten through 12th grade.
There is a disconnect between the goals and provision of scientific outreach and its actual impact. In recent years, communication about diseases like COVID-19 and a lack of trust in science have made that gap even more apparent.
To better understand where these disconnects occur, Northwestern University scientists surveyed 530 graduate students, postdoctoral fellows, faculty and staff at US academic institutions to examine their motivations and barriers to participation in science outreach.
Connecting scientific and non-scientific communities
Science outreach, sometimes called public engagement with science, creates connections between scientific and non-scientific communities. Read also : Grants provide over $1.2 million for computer science education. The study, published today in Frontiers in Communication, found that scientists and academic institutions can use science outreach as a way to promote diversity, equity, accessibility and inclusion within STEM fields.
Women, people of color and people from marginalized groups are still underrepresented in the scientific workforce, said first author Nicole Woitowich, research assistant professor of medical social sciences at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine.
“This affects not only the people who participate in scientific discovery, but also the people who benefit from it,” Woitowich said. “Science outreach helps build a two-way street where we can begin to break down those barriers.”
Although more than 90% of respondents participated in science outreach to promote diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility or because it gave them personal satisfaction, they cited lack of time and funding as major barriers. Women, who spent more time in contact with the community than men, were more likely to overcome these challenges.
This breakdown may show how women are trying to make the scientific workforce more inclusive for the next generation. But, by participating in scientific outreach, women may hinder their own professional advancement, depending on how academic institutions do – or do not – incentivize outreach , Woitowich said.
“Scientists agree that public engagement with science is great and important to our society, but tenure and promotion committees don’t often value it,” Woitowich said. “This is widening the gender gap in academia that women are trying to solve through scientific outreach.”
Science in the infrastructure
The survey intentionally included academic staff to see how groups other than students and faculty contribute to science outreach. On the same subject : Director of the National Science Foundation visits San Diego to talk NSF mission, investments. Indeed, 50% of staff reported participating in science outreach with high frequency, suggesting that outreach roles are increasingly part of the academic research architecture.
“Staff could be key drivers of public engagement in science in academic institutions,” Woitowich said. “This helps us learn how institutions are integrating science outreach into their infrastructure.”
By working with staff to learn better ways to communicate with the public, scientists’ uncertainty about public engagement could be resolved. Most of the scientists in the study reported that they had no formal training in science outreach but would like to have it.
“We need academic institutions to invest financially in the training and resources needed for effective science outreach,” said Woitowich. “It’s nice to have good intentions, but you have to back it up with commitments to foster meaningful engagement and culture.”
Looking at existing models
Northwestern is beginning to create an infrastructure similar to Woitowich’s vision. The Science in Society program at Northwestern promotes mentoring and STEM learning for K-12 youth. To see also : Central College adds data science options | Local News | oskaloosa.com. Jeanne Garbarino, a corresponding author on the paper and a biochemist at Rockefeller University, leads science outreach at RockEDU, another innovative model aimed at engaging non-experts of all ages.
However, it can be difficult for scientists to know where to go when they have something to share. The team hopes that now that some basic research has been completed, further research by implementation scientists (a type of research that looks at how best to get effective interventions into the hands of the most people) will develop tools to improve the effectiveness of programs for – tracking access, ie. help promote best practices and create integrated programs across academic institutions, rather than one-off programs.
Get the latest stories from Northwestern Now delivered straight to your inbox.
What does bridge mean spiritually?
The bridge is essentially a symbol of communication and unity, be it between heaven and earth or two separate kingdoms. For that reason it can be seen as the link between God and Man. It may be the transition to reality, or simply a symbol for travel and crossing.
What do bridges mean in literature? a passage in a literary work or a scene in a play that acts as a movement between two other more important passages or scenes.
What does the bridge symbolize in the story?
The bridge is the central symbol of the story. The bridge represents the divide between life and death for the old man. For the old man, the animals he left behind were his only family and if he crossed the bridge he would be ending his family’s life.
What is the purpose of the bridge?
The purpose of a bridge is to allow people or cargo to pass easily over an obstacle by providing a route that would otherwise be uneven or impossible.
What does the bridge most likely symbolize?
Transition & Change The first and probably the strongest symbol of bridges is the transition. The bridge takes you from one place to another. When you cross over a bridge, you often feel like you are literally moving from one place to another.
How do you start a bridge sentence?
1. Restatement (often using pointer words such as “this” or “such”). Begin your new article by refocusing exactly what you had to say. This forces you to specify the logical connection to what you are about to say.
How do you write a bridge example?
How do you describe a bridge in writing?
Instead of starting with a topic sentence for each paragraph, the writer uses a bridge to make a smooth transition into a new paragraph. Also known as a transitional or transitional idea, it usually discusses the previous point and its connection to the new point.
How do you write a bridge sentence?
The key to building good bridges is to repeat briefly what you just finished saying, forcing yourself to explain how the new paragraph continues. Thus, âNext,â âFurthermore,â and âMy next pointâ are not overt transitions.
How do you politely get rid of a friend?
Be honest. For you and your friend. Before you talk to the person, write down what you want to say to them. Avoid attacking them; politely tell them that the friendship is no longer working for you and that you feel it is better to go your separate ways.
How do you remove a friend politely? Be slow to respond to their texts and try not to talk on the phone as often. When you do talk, keep the conversations relatively short. Remember, don’t be mean or sudden with them. You don’t want to hurt their feelings here, so keep it light and say things like “I’m sorry, I have to run!”
How do you get rid of a friend you don’t want?
If you want to get rid of someone you don’t like, the simplest way to do it is to fight that person or just avoid them until they get the picture. But if the person does not really get the picture, then you can start being annoying until the person decides to distance himself.
How do you get rid of a friend without being rude?
How to politely get rid of an annoying person
- Notify a rescue friend. You don’t have to go through it alone. …
- Make your commitments clear. There is one thing that many people appreciate – his commitment. …
- Do not admit. …
- Minimize eye contact. …
- Don’t be too welcoming. …
- Bring up the Controversy. …
- Reduce cyber chats. …
- Ignore it!
How do bridges work?
Bridges connect two or more different LANs that have a similar protocol and provide communication between the devices (nodes) in them. By combining multiple LANs, bridges help multiply the network capacity of a single LAN. Since they operate at the data link layer, they transmit data as data frames.
What makes bridges so strong? Suspension bridges are strong because the force on the bridge is spread out. The weight of cars or trains or horses, whatever is traveling across it, pulls on the cables, creating tension. Those cables then pull down on the towers and also pull the anchors on each side of the bridge, to hold the deck up.
How do bridges not collapse?
Allow water or large debris to pass through bridges, creating better resistance during floods. Use clear span bridges that span a channel without exposed supports. Ensure design standards set forth by the American Society of Civil Engineers are met.
How do bridges hold weight?
Instead of pressing straight down, the weight of an arch bridge is carried out along the curve of the arch to the supports at each end. These supports, called the abutments, carry the load and keep the ends of the bridge from spreading out.
