Meeting Abstract
Scientists are essential for communicating scientific concepts, the social relevancy of science, and the excitement of science and related fields to the public. However, scientists are rarely trained in how to effectively engage with the public. To address this gap, we incorporated community-engaged learning into the 10-week immersive summer undergraduate research program of Duquesne University. Students were funded by Biology NSF REU or NIH R25 grants. The summer research students developed and shared science activities with children at a summer day camp located in an underserved neighborhood in Pittsburgh. Undergraduate students worked in teams to develop science enrichment activities that they shared with 25 middle school-aged campers one morning each week for 4 weeks. The experience culminated in a visit by campers to Duquesne University where the undergraduate students described their background and research projects to the campers. An average of 12 hrs total was spent on community engagement activities. Assessment was via a retrospective post-test. The undergraduates reported statistically significant gains in communication, professional, and civic skills. At the same, Pittsburgh youth were exposed to hands-on science enrichment to increase their understanding and enthusiasm for biology. In sum, community-engaged learning via sharing science with children is a meaningful addition to a summer undergraduate research program. By giving scientists-in-training opportunities to share science with the non-expert public, we hope they will become better communicators and more receptive to civic engagement in the future.
