What is STEM Outreach

I’m sure many of you have heard about outreach before, and likely done it, in some way shape or form (either because you wanted to, or for some high school or college requirement). Outreach itself means reaching out and helping some community.

In STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) outreach, it is taking this idea of reaching out and applying it to Scientists, Engineers, Mathematicians, and having them share their expertise with a wider group of people.

The goal of STEM outreach is to communicate STEM knowledge and techniques to everyone! Partly it is to motivate young students to become interested in pursuing a STEM degree themselves, and it is also to demonstrate that STEM is not an exclusive bubble like it has been seen for such a long time.

STEM Outreach is also a great skill for any researcher. By sharing the knowledge of your field to more people, you are 1) learning how to communicate better, 2) encouraging more people to join your field which will in turn increase the amount your field can advance (more brainpower), 3) opening the door to more funding possibilities (many grants and fellowships love STEM outreach applicants), 4) increasing the relevance of your work, which in the longterm could lead to more funding for your research and trust in science.

STEM outreach has been around for a long time. Even in Greek and Roman times, scientists would perform experiments in front of large audiences to demonstrate a phenomenon, similarly in the Renaissance.

In recent years, STEM, particularly science, has gotten a bad rap in the media and news.

Because STEM research has become increasingly more complex with an exponential amount of research we are building on, and the popularity of STEM outreach decreased, less people are coming face-to-face with the research process.

Instead of understanding the minutia of a research project, the media has taken, at times, entire years of research work into bite-sized, headline worthy snippets, often in the process grossly misinterpreting the facts or misleading the audience.

When the authors or skeptics come out to point out the minutia of the purportedly “breakthrough” research headlined by the media, often showing the results cannot be cut so black and white, it is understandable that the general public become confused, not wanting to get bogged down in all the technical details.

Confusion leads to distrust, and eventually leads to the general public not trusting new research discoveries.

How can we fix distrust in the research? I’m glad you asked! There is an easy solution that has been proven time and true across the centuries: explaining research in an easily understandable way to the general public. Taking down the “bubble” between researchers and everyone else. And this is where STEM Outreach fits in!

How to Get Involved in STEM Outreach

STEM outreach can take many shapes or forms. Typically, it is thought of as having STEM experts give talks, workshops, or perform experiments with a group of the general public. However, with the growth of social media, STEM outreach opportunities continue to expand by many STEM people having Instagram, Twitter, and TikTok accounts to share their science and other science in an easily digestable and simple to understand way. Below I’ve shared the 5 best ways I know how to get involved in STEM outreach.

1.Joining Dedicated Organizations for STEM Outreach

Because there has been a large push to increase the understanding of STEM recently, there are a number of organizations purely dedicated to match people with STEM outreach opportunities. Some of these are nationwide initiatives (ex: Letters to a Pre-Scientist, Skype a Scientist), others are through social media, individual research centers (ex: Wisconsin Institute for Discovery Science Saturdays), and many universities also offer organized ways to become involved. This is how I actually started in STEM Outreach, through my university! An easy way to find STEM outreach organizations is simply by searching what outreach you want to do online, or talking to advisors at your university/company.

2.Starting a Social Media Account for your Research

As I mentioned earlier, this is a relatively new way to interact with the public but it has blossomed into a great way to interact with especially middle and high schoolers. If you want to go this route, I’d recommend sticking to just one or two platforms because it can quickly become overwhelming. I used Instagram to communicate science, but others commonly use TikTok and Twitter as well. This is much more independent than working with an already established organization, and I’d also suggest coming up with an area you’d like to focus on when you start to stay consistent.

3.Participating in Research Conferences/Forums

If taking the first move outside of the research bubble you are used to sounds too scary, you are not alone! A less intimidating way to learn STEM outreach can even be at participating in research conferences and forums. While, yes, you will be communicating to other researchers, you will still have to learn how to present your information in a way that is understandable to people outside of your field. In turn, the other researchers will be educated by your teaching.

4.Starting your Own Organization for STEM Outreach!

This is the most adventurous of all the listed ways to get involved in STEM outreach, but can reap the most rewards if you are willing and invested! There are a lot of organizations already out there to help you get involved in STEM outreach, but sometimes they just aren’t specific enough or have the right angle to meet your needs. You can start an organization within your university, like I did for my department, or your own company! The biggest thing to make sure of is to have support, either institutional (like the university or another company) and/or a group of collaborators to share the workload among.

5.Volunteering for Science Fairs

An easy, low key way to dabble your feet in STEM outreach is volunteering as a judge for your local Science Fair. This was one of the first STEM Outreach initiatives I did once moving to Miami, and it connected me with so many other people also interested in STEM Outreach who provided me a network for future STEM outreach opportunities! It is very low commitment so if you decide STEM outreach with kids isn’t what you want to do, you are only obligated to a one day commitment. But if you find out this is what you love, you will meet many other like-minded people who can help guide you on your STEM Outreach path!

Stay safe and good luck! As always, feel free to reach out if you have any questions.

xx Chloe