Participants in one of SSI's Workshops on K-12 Education for Scientists & Engineers engage in the "Change Game" -- a simulation of how a school district tries to implement science education reform. [L-R: Michelle Thaller (SIRTF), Mark Voit (STScI), Brian Mapes (CIRES) and Mike Bicay (SIRTF)]

SSI is one of the few organizations in the country implementing workshops on K-12 science education for scientists, engineers, and the professionals who facilitate their involvement in Education and Public Outreach (EPO).

Why is learning about K-12 Education and Public Outreach important to scientists?

Bruce Alberts, president of the National Academy of Sciences, is on record as a strong advocate of scientists becoming more actively and effectively engaged in K-12 science education reform. In addition, research directorates of funding agencies like NASA and NSF are increasingly encouraging (and in some cases requiring) the integration of science and education and greater scientist involvement in EPO. For example, every NASA Office of Space Science flight project proposal is now required to include an Education and Public Outreach segment budgeted at 1-2% of mission cost. The NSF Geosciences Directorate recently published a strategy for education and is also strongly encouraging the scientists it funds to become more involved in EPO activities.

Our workshops can be very valuable in support of your EPO efforts. We can assist you with forging an appropriate link between the science and EPO components of your professional activities and with identifying appropriate EPO roles for scientists.

What EPO Workshops Do We Offer?

SSI offers a variety of education workshops which can improve your EPO program There is an ongoing 4-Day Workshop for Scientists, Engineers EPO Leads conducted annually in Boulder (supported by NASA Education Division).

In addition we can custom design 1-2-day EPO workshops in support of your research proposal or program. Such workshops include:

• How to Develop an Effective EPO Program or Proposal
• How to Design Effective Teacher Workshops
• Working with Science Centers and Museums
• Working with Curriculum Developers

Quotes from Participants:

"One trip to a classroom will emphasize the necessity of becoming interested in what and how our future citizens are attempting to master the tools that will carry us well into the next century."

"Becoming a knowledgeable advocate for reform is probably one of the most important things a scientist can do. A very good starting point would be to attend a K-12 education workshop at the Space Science Institute."

"The SSI Workshop was a turning point for me as a science educator. I'd given many presentations in classrooms and teachers' workshops, but knew very little about cognitive science and its implications for education, or about the way school systems really work. The Workshop gave me a foundation for the next stage of outreach work - outreach as a form of scholarship. The professional contacts that I made were invaluable, and I received useful tools that I have used many times (e.g. ways to evaluate curricula). I'd recommend this workshop for scientists at all stages of outreach work, from novice to expert." Dr. Alex Weaver, Director of Education and Outreach, CIRES, University of Colorado at Boulder.