Scientists’ ability to effectively communicate the scientific concepts and significance of their research is crucial for fostering interest in scientific fields and STEM literacy among students and community members. Scientists are often eager to share their research—such as at science career fairs, science days at K-12 schools, and classroom visits—but various obstacles often prevent them from taking advantage of these opportunities. At Pacific Northwest National Laboratory’s Office of STEM Education (PNNL; a Department of Energy laboratory located in Richland, WA), a science communication, outreach, and education initiative called “STEM Ambassadors” has worked since 2017 to remove these obstacles and provide scientists at the laboratory with the skills and materials to share their work and participate in STEM education and outreach events in the community. First, scientists take part in a workshop about how people learn and how to communicate their research in ways the general public can easily understand. Then, they develop a poster and a hands-on, tabletop activity about a component of their research. The program additionally aims to engage and retain a diverse future STEM workforce by purposefully recruiting scientists and staff with diverse ethnicities, genders, and cultural backgrounds.
Results/Conclusions
Today, a group of more than 100 engineers, scientists, skilled tradespeople, and operations staff from across various fields—including coastal sciences, nuclear science, chemistry, and energy resiliency—serve as STEM Ambassadors. These Ambassadors have created displays and tabletop activities that teach, for example, the science behind water color, the life cycle of salmon, scientific diving concepts, and toxic algae blooms. Activities range from step-by-step board games and matching games, to virtual reality experiences, and demonstrations with microscopes and real samples. In 2019, STEM Ambassadors volunteered over 400 hours to participate in twelve community outreach events serving over 4,500 students, families, and community members. The program has been committed to inclusion and diversity, reaching over 1,500 underrepresented students in rural regions throughout Washington state, such as the Olympic Peninsula and Yakima Valley. Additionally, currently 53% of STEM Ambassadors are female, 47% are male, and nearly 30% are persons of color. Overall, the PNNL STEM Ambassador program provides a framework for how to enable scientists to more readily engage in education and outreach events in their communities by providing the skills and materials to communicate their scientific research to the general public.