Reaching Out to High Schoolers

November 28, 2007

Grants often require scientists to perform outreach. Many scientists even consider it part of their duty. But, if they’ve never done it before, where is a scientist to begin?

Steven Stevenoski, a science teacher at Lincoln High School in Wisconsin Rapids, Wisconsin, offered tips to scientists at the Institute for Geophysics in a brown bag seminar last August.

First, he suggested that scientists work with age groups that they’re comfortable with. For example, a person might find teenagers scary or weird.

“If you aren’t comfortable with it, the people you’re trying to do outreach to will know immediately,” he said. “So if you’re uncomfortable with elementary kids, don’t go into an elementary classroom.”

Second, he suggested that scientists get to know the community in which they want to do outreach. For example, to get involved in schools, join the National Science Teachers Association, the Science Teachers Association of Texas, or a school’s Parent Teacher Association, or volunteer at a school.

“If a scientist comes into a school and says, ‘Hello I’m an Antarctic scientist and I’d like to do a presentation for your class,’ people will say, well how does it fit into my curriculum?” he said. “But if you know the teacher personally, they’ll say, ‘You work at the Institute for Geophysics? Oh my God, you do Antarctic studies? Would you come and talk to my class?’ You become a person to these students and teachers and it’s a different relationship.”

He then suggested different kinds of activities that could constitute an outreach effort, such as a geophysicist bringing a portable “chirp” device for a classroom demonstration or inviting a class to come to a field site to see how GPS is used in surveying.

Stevenoski first went to Antarctica in the Teachers Experiencing Antarctica program in 1995. In 2004, he returned, connecting with students around the world through a blog and live video.

He reminded the audience that the Internet can be a powerful tool for outreach. For his part, Stevenoski has harnessed that power since he first went to Antarctica in the Teachers Experiencing Antarctica program in 1995. At that time, a website carried his updates emailed from the field every day or so. In 2004, he returned to Antarctica and was able to connect instantaneously to students around the world through a blog and live video. This past summer, he spent six weeks at the Institute developing several polar-related learning activities which are now available at From Texas to the Poles, the Institute’s International Polar Year website.

Support from the National Science Foundation and the Jackson School has allowed Stevenoski to work directly with Lawrence Lawver and other Institute scientists on several polar research trips.

In addition to classroom and online activities, he said outreach might include attending education conferences, bringing a teacher or student to a science conference, writing for a teacher’s journal, or talking to a civic group.

When working with students, Stevenoski said the bottom line is to have fun.

“Teaching and learning should be an enjoyable experience,” he said. “I believe that when you enjoy what you are doing with students they have fun, and learning becomes contagious. If you personally don't have the infection to learn, you can't pass that on to students.”

by Marc Airhart

For more information about the Jackson School contact J.B. Bird at jbird@jsg.utexas.edu, 512-232-9623.