Scientists and Public Outreach: Participation, Motivations, and Impediments Elisabeth Andrews Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences (CIRES), University of Colorado, Boulder, CO 80309-0216 Alex Weaver Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences (CIRES), University of Colorado, Boulder, CO 80309-0216 Daniel Hanley School of Education and Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences (CIRES), University of Colorado Boulder, CO 80309-0216 Jeffrey Shamatha Department of Mathematics and Statistics, Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff, AZ 86011 Ginger Melton Ethnography and Evaluation Research, Center to Advance Research and Teaching in the Social Sciences, University of Colorado, Boulder CO, 80309-0580 [email protected] ABSTRACT is a nation-wide call to realign university missions to fulfill their service duties to civil society (see for example Public funding agencies are increasingly requiring Rice, 2003; Dyer, 1999; McGrath, 1999; Ray, 1999; Byrne, "broader impact" components in research grants. 1998; Votruba, 1996). Universities are being asked to Concurrently, national educational leaders are calling for practice what the late Ernest Boyer, former president of scientists to partner with educators to reform science the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of education. Through the use of survey and interview Teaching, called the "scholarship of engagement" (Boyer, data, our study examined the participation of 1996). The scientific community, in particular, is being researchers, faculty members, and graduate students asked to participate in education reform. Leaders of the from federal research laboratories and a Research I National Science Foundation and National Science Board university, who were involved in K-12 and public call for scientists to help reform science and math outreach activities. education by engaging in "effective equal partnerships We found that scientists were often recruited into with K-12 schools" (Colwell and Kelly, 1999). Scientists K-12 outreach activities by local departmental liaisons, are needed to help coordinate precollege and colleagues, or professors. Scientists most frequently gave college-level academic requirements, assist with teacher presentations, tutored, and organized or judged science preparation and professional development, develop fairs. Outreach participation varied by career stage, job instructional materials, and improve research on type, and gender. The strongest motivating factors were learning. They can serve in various roles, such as a desire to contribute and enjoying their outreach advocates, resources, or partners to students, teachers, experiences. For graduate students and researchers, a schools of education, science centers, and advisory third motivating factor was the chance to improve their boards (Bybee and Morrow, 1998). Bruce Alberts, former teaching and communication skills. Scientists of all president of the National Academy of Science, calls these types, however, viewed outreach as a form of volunteer partnerships "an important national priority" (Alberts, work that was auxiliary to their other responsibilities. 1993). At the same time, public agencies that fund Time constraints due to other, higher priorities, the lower scientific research are increasingly requiring that value placed on outreach by departments, and a lack of researchers invest some of their funding in education or detailed information about outreach opportunities were outreach activities that have a "broader impact" (NSF significant barriers to participation. Even so, only a few 2002; NSF 2001; NSF 1997; NASA, 1996). Research scientists viewed their outreach experiences negatively, projects funded by NASA, for example, place "significant mostly due to classroom management, logistical, or emphasis on delivering the benefit of [their] research organizational problems, or a lack of outreach skills. endeavors to [their] public audiences" (Christian, 2003). Even though many of the scientific societies and academies are already involved in public outreach INTRODUCTION (Rogers, 1981), and despite the national effort toward outreach and engagement, little is known about the Outreach has been defined as "a meaningful and public service or "outreach" mission of American mutually beneficial collaboration with partners in universities (Dyer, 1999). The literature on scientists' education, business, public and social service. It involvement in outreach is even more sparse, and most represents that aspect of teaching that enables learning of what is known comes from program descriptions (see beyond the campus walls, that aspect of research that for example Christian, 2003). makes what we discover useful beyond the academic One form of outreach for which there is a growing community, and that aspect of service that directly body of literature that may provide insights into K-12 benefits the public" (Ray, 1999). Science outreach may and public outreach is service learning (Eyler, 2000). In include tutoring, mentoring, giving presentations or service learning, students learn and develop through facilitating inquiry, supporting teachers, judging science active participation in thoughtfully organized service fairs, developing resources and curricula, interacting experiences that meet actual community needs and that with children or teachers in summer or after-school are coordinated with a formal educational institution to programs, and so forth. address and support an academic curriculum (Colorado, Historically, outreach from universities to the public 2003). A few studies have examined the motivations and has been viewed as important to a democratic society obstacles that faculty experience regarding service and the economy (Kezar, 2000; Boyer, 1996). Today, there learning (Driscoll, 2000; Gyles and Eyler, 1998). Some Andrews et al. - Scientists and Public Outreach 281 faculty members are motivated to incorporate service science faculty members. Since 88% of these voluntary learning out of a sense of professional responsibility respondents had been involved in science outreach at (Hammond, 1994), "…to apply their knowledge toward some point in their professional or educational careers, the betterment of society" (Holland, 1999). Others are we shifted the focus of the study to examine their motivated by the belief that service learning has a experiences rather than that of scientists in general. In positive effect on student academic learning and this article, data from the scientists who had never been personal growth (Abes et al., 2002; Holland, 1999; involved in outreach were omitted because the sample Hammond, 1994). size of eleven was deemed too small to yield meaningful Factors that inhibit faculty involvement in service results. Of the respondents included in the study, 65% learning have also been described. In its annual survey of were currently doing outreach. Further research would more than 900 institutions, Campus Compact (2002) help confirm our findings, as there might have been reported that 64% of the respondents cited time and additional scientists who do outreach that did not return faculty teaching loads as the greatest obstacles to the survey. integrating service learning into their courses. Time Most of the graduate students came from the constraints include the time needed to create new departments of chemistry and biochemistry (46%), activities, cultivate partnerships, organize logistics, and geological sciences (26%), and atmospheric and ocean recruit students (Abes et al., 2002; Holland, 1999; sciences (17%). The remaining few came from Hammond, 1994). Difficulties of coordination and mathematics (7%) and physics (4%). The scientific logistics are another deterrent (Abes et al., 2002; Holland, researchers and faculty members worked in the same 1999). Recognition and rewards, especially in the tenure fields as the graduate students. The nine faculty process, are also a problem (Holland, 1999; Hammond, members who were interviewed came from the 1994), although those with tenure are much less chemistry and biochemistry and geological sciences concerned about recognition and rewards than those departments at the university. Slightly under half of the without it (Abes et al., 2002). From these findings on respondents involved in outreach were women, which is service learning, we gain insight into issues to examine an over-representation relative to their participation in when studying outreach in general. these disciplines; but only one interview subject was Our study examines the ways in which scientists are female. involved in outreach to K-12 schools and the general All survey respondents were asked about their public and the factors that motivate or deter their current and past participation in outreach to K-12 schools participation. In particular, we look at the experiences of and the general public. In the survey, the quantitative graduate students and faculty members at the University questions assessed demographic information, the extent of Colorado at Boulder and of scientific researchers at of respondents' participation and experience in science nearby federal research laboratories. Our goal is to gain outreach at different stages of their careers, how they got insight that will inform the activities of scientists, involved in science outreach, and what motivated or outreach educators, and funding agencies, and thus prevented their participation in science outreach. A benefit the national effort to create the