Why Isadora volunteers: I want to make science accessible to everyone but especially to youth. I want to connect what they already know to things happening in their surroundings and bring a sense to belonging through science.
Why Catherine volunteers: Everyone deserves a chance to get excited about the natural world and how humans are part of a dynamic web of life and physical processes! Getting hands on and stretching our brains in new ways can help with that.
Why Hannah volunteers: As a kid, I thought that the only way to study the ocean was by being a marine biologist. Having arrived at marine social science many years later, I want to help kids understand the interconnectedness of people and nature and see that there are many ways to look at a system.
Why Marta volunteers: This is my third time being a graduate through UW! I got my MS through SAFS in 2000, and in 2008 I got a teaching certification in Secondary Science at UW Tacoma. After teaching high school for eight years, I know firsthand how important it is to have real scientists in the classroom to communicate their research through engaging hands on lessons. The SEAS program is the perfect platform to implement this model!!
Why Mary volunteers: Outreach is the best way to get kids (and their parents) more interested in science! The one truly great outreach experience that I had before going to college was at the Monterey Bay Aquarium, and that (obviously) had a huge impact on my early career path. But I wish that I had known more scientists and more about science as a career as a middle or high school student – I think that would have given me an advantage as a high school and younger undergrad student. It’s also very gratifying as a scientist to tap into the strong curiosity that younger students already have, and see them exercise and satisfy that curiosity!
Why Alex volunteers: Communication is a central part of science; your work simply doesn’t matter if no one knows about it. I’m broadly interested in how ecosystems function so that we can restore and repair degraded ecosystems that humans can coexist with. Outreach is important to me because in order to make the large-scale changes needed to restore these ecosystems properly, people need to know the results of research in terms they can understand and relate to – to make big change we need a big and interdisciplinary cooperative effort.
Why Christina volunteers: I grew up in rural Alaska where outreach from local scientists played an important role in my journey towards becoming a scientist. I hope to feed that same student curiosity I had while also exposing students to different career opportunities.
Why Katie volunteers: Outreach is important to me because increased access to science education can lead to community and social change. It can help break down barriers to entry in academia for underrepresented persons and foster increased respect and interest in the environment.
Why Owen volunteers: Outreach is an important part of any students academic and personal life. I hope to share my experiences and knowledge I’ve had through sciences and academics to students who currently have a harder time finding these opportunities. These are opportunities I wish I always had as a kid.
Why Beth volunteers: I love being a scientist and asking questions and developing hypotheses. I want to share how fun science can be to raise awareness of it’s importance in every part of our lives.
Why Sean volunteers: Growing up, my most memorable educational experiences took place in non-traditional learning environments. I hope to be able to enable others to participate in the types of hands-on experiences that motivated me to be a scientist.
Why Jenny volunteers: Outreach is important to me because it is an opportunity to spark curiosity about science and the environment. I think that outreach is a great place to start in making science an inclusive process.
Why Yaamini volunteers: Outreach is important to me because it’s the best way to connect my research with people it will actually impact.