Transcript In the Trenches: Scientific Outreach from the Perspective

In the Trenches: Scientific
Outreach from the Perspective
of a Working Scientist
Andrea D. Wolfe
Department of Evolution, Ecology
and Organismal Biology
The Ohio State University
Why bother???
Kansas and all other “balanced
treatment” efforts
 Yellowstone, Los Alamos, Southern
California wildfires
 Genetic engineering and genetically
modified organisms
 School funding, higher education, $$$ for
basic research

Perception of the problem
More than half of students in
introductory course at OSU had never
traveled outside Ohio
 More than 90% believe that technology
will solve all environmental problems
 Almost half had a conflict with religion
and science
 Most think that science is beyond their
ability

Examples of Scientific Outreach
for Botanists - Academic
Teach in the non-majors biology courses
 Sponsor undergraduate research
experiences
 Sponsor high school student research
 Serve as a science fair judge
 Assist in K-12 workshops through
education department

Scientific Outreach for Botanists Connecting with the Public

Opportunities with children
 Youth
organizations
 K-12 interaction
 Volunteering with parks, zoos, etc.

Opportunities with adults
 Garden
clubs and plant associations
 Tap into your hobbies

Using the web as a tool for outreach
Scientific Outreach to Children

Boy Scouts of America (the other BSA)
 Council level activities for Cub Scouts
 Pow wow
 District level activities for Cub Scouts
 Day Camp
 Webelos overnight campout
 Scout Day
 Webelos outdoor training
Webelos Outdoor Training
Scientific Outreach to Children

K-12 opportunities
 Volunteer in the classroom
 Volunteer for fieldtrips that involve
nature
 Develop unique opportunities
Digi-cam
safari to South Africa
Fieldwork in South Africa - Outreach
with Tremont Elementary School in Upper
Arlington, Ohio
November 15 to December 15, 1999
 Email correspondence from Compton
Herbarium
 233 digital photos sent in 16 batches

 Narrative
about what we did, what we saw
 Background information on biodiversity of
South Africa, habitats visited
 Overview of cultural differences and history
In the Herbarium
In the Field
Collecting parasitic plants
Habitats of South Africa
Interesting Plants
South African Fauna
Cultural aspects
San Cave Paintings
Scientific Outreach - Adults

Garden club and other public lectures
 “Stalking
the Wild Penstemon”
 “Parasitic Plants of South Africa”

Hobbies as an opportunity for outreach
 Woodworkers
of Central Ohio
 Central Ohio Woodturners
Central Ohio Woodturners
Outreach Opportunities in
Woodworking & Woodturning

The botany of wood
 Grain
and figure
 Stems
and roots
 Burls, burrs, disease
Sustainable logging
 Biodiversity
 Biomes of the world

Using the Web for Outreach

Taxon-specific websites
 Especially
effective for horticulturally and
agriculturally important plants

Technique-oriented websites
 ISSR
Resource Website
Courses and course pages on the web
 Web pages on research

How much time???

Not a big investment in the overall scale
of a busy academic schedule
 Maybe
one or two weekends a year for
scouts, one evening a month for committee
work
 An afternoon here and there for K-12
 A few hours every couple of months for
interaction with fellow crafters
 An occasional evening for other efforts
 A bit more time for web based efforts
How does it benefit us?
Scientific outreach is important to the
university
 We can make some contribution to
improving scientific literacy
 We are public employees - people like to
know how their tax money is spent
 It’s fun!
