HR: 10:30h
AN: ED12A-01    [Abstracts]
TI: Forging Successful Partnerships: Improving Collaborative Efforts Between Scientists and Science Education Professionals
AU: * Morris, P
EM: pmorris@ems.jsc.nasa.gov
AF: University of Houston Downtown, 1 Main St., Houston, Tx 77002 United States
AU: Allen, J
EM: jaclyn.allen1@jsc.nasa.gov
AF: NASA/Hamilton Sundstrand, 2101 NASA Parkway, Houston, Tx 77058 United States
AU: Galindo, C
EM: charles.galindo1@jsc.nasa.gov
AF: NASA/Muniz Engineering, 2101 NASA Parkway, Houston, Tx 77058 United States
AU: McKay, G
EM: gordon.a.mckay@nasa.gov
AF: NASA/Johnson Space Center, 2101 NASA Parkway, Houston, Tx 77058 United States
AU: Obot, V
EM: obot_vd@tsu.edu
AF: Texas Southern University, 3100 Cleburne Ave., Houston, Tx 77004 United States
AU: Reiff, P
EM: reiff@ruf.rice.edu
AF: Rice University, 6100 Main St., Houston, Tx 77051 United States
AU: Shipp, S
EM: shipp@lpi.usra.edu
AF: Lunar and Planetary Institute, 3600 Bay Area Blvd, Houston, Tx 77058 United States
AU: Sumners, C
EM: sumners@hmns.org
AF: Houston Museum of Natural Science, One Hermann Circle, Houston, Tx 77030 United States
AB: Forming required partnerships for funding programs can appear straightforward and relatively easy, at least in the initial stages, but forming a longer term bond that crosses disciplines and education approaches can be more difficult. The question is frequently asked as to why some partnerships are more successful than others? As scientists, we frequently want this quantified into a set of instructions or guidelines, or even better, as a simple mathematical formula. Any of these approaches would leave out an important ingredient in human relationships that could easily be labeled as compatibility, but perhaps a better term is mutual respect. For example, interaction between scientists and education specialists can be problematic because the people in each group will see the resolution of a problem differently. Educators may concentrate on the form of the delivery, while scientists may be more concerned about the accuracy of the scientific information. For example, if a scientific concept such as evolution is oversimplified, important details, at least in the scientists' minds, could be lost. The scientists will worry about this while the educators may not understand why the scientists are concerned. Resolving such issues takes patience, time, and shared experiences by both parties, putting aside egos and preconceived ideas of who knows more or who knows best. Respect is not the sole answer; the answer is more complex. First, successful partnerships require good communication between the partners. This requires meetings every four to eight weeks, e-mails that inform the partners of new information or opportunities, a lead or principal investigator that facilitates, but treats all partners as equals and does not micromanage . The most important requirement here is commitment by all of the partners. The last may be interwoven with a specific agenda, but as long as everyone understands the extent of the commitment, the partnership will work. Again, communication is important. A lead or PI must listen carefully to what your partners are saying and remember body language can be as important as the spoken word so schedule as many face to face meeting as possible. If you perceive a problem, there probably is a problem, and you will need to call or see one or more of the partners as soon as possible. Above all, do not use e-mail as voice inflections are lost and e-mail does not replace one-to-one personal interaction. A variety of effective communication skills must be used to facilitate good working partnerships.
DE: 0800 EDUCATION
SC: Education and Human Resources [ED]
MN: 2005 Joint Assembly