HR: 08:00h
AN: OS21D-01 INVITED     [Abstracts]
TI: Why and How Does a Faculty Member Do Education and Outreach?
AU: * Ammerman, J W
EM: ammerman@imcs.rutgers.edu
AF: Rutgers University, Institute of Marine and Coastal Sciences, New Brunswick, NJ 08901 United States
AB: The National Science Foundation (NSF) and other geoscience funding agencies have recently mandated faculty participation in K-14 education and outreach (E and O) efforts as part of funded research projects. Many university researchers may at worst view these requirements as a distraction from research or at best may be unsure about how to approach them. Once you have decided that you want to participate, and you may have little choice if you want funding, there are numerous steps you can take to make the most of your time and effort. First, talk to your local education and outreach professional, in the nearest COSEE center or elsewhere, and if you do not have one find one. Second, be prepared to devote about 10 percent of your budget to these education and outreach activities, especially for larger grant programs like NSF Biocomplexity, Microbial Observatories, or similar competitions. If you meet with your E and O colleague early enough in the proposal process, they may help to design a large part of your E and O program themselves. Also give them significant prominence in the proposal; if they do not qualify to be a PI, certainly they can be listed in another professional role. The E and O component of a borderline proposal can give it the competitive edge for funding, so take this part of the proposal seriously. Finally when you get funded, be prepared to devote some time to the E and O effort, though continuing interaction with your education and outreach professional should help to limit this. This is especially true if your E and O colleague can coordinate or otherwise be directly involved in some of these activities, and not just serve as a middleman between you and the K-14 teachers. Ultimately, however, you must participate for your own satisfaction in helping the next generation of scientists and scientifically literate citizens. While your E and O efforts may help you to get funding, do not expect many accolades from your university.
DE: 4299 General or miscellaneous
DE: 0800 EDUCATION
SC: Ocean Sciences [OS]
MN: 2004 AGU Fall Meeting