Blog

Since 2016, Caitlin Weber has been the backbone of the STEM Ambassador Program (STEMAP): strong, flexible, and essential to the functioning of every part of our work. We are sad to inform our community that in August, 2021, Caitlin has stepped down from her role as Program Manager of STEMAP to take a new position in New Mexico. But we are happy for her taking new directions in her career.

Spring brought two more cohorts for the STEM Ambassador Program, plus planning for several more! We implemented training online for twenty-one Ambassadors, and are providing support as they engage remotely.

It has been a busy winter for the STEM Ambassador Program! We are developing new ways to deliver training online to support Ambassadors in engaging remotely. Program Director Nalini Nadkarni has presented in a variety of remote venues about STEMAP and the value of public engagement. Interest in public engagement of science training is greater than ever!

We are hard at work moving the STEM Ambassador Program forward through online workshops and remote engagement activities. We hope that even beyond COVID-19 restrictions, these adaptations will make STEMAP more accessible to scientists interested in public engagement.

The STEM Ambassador Program has had a busy summer! Our Ambassadors shifted to remote engagement as the University closed, and have been participating in online meetings and remote activities with youth centers.

We hope everyone is staying safe and healthy this Spring! We have an exciting newsletter this quarter, with articles featuring interviews with STEMAP Co-PIs Julie Risien and John Besley. These articles explore important topics within science communication, such as broader impacts, impact identity, and communication goals and objectives.

Winter is here and the newest cohort of STEM Ambassadors are working hard to develop ideas for their engagement activities! We received three times the number of applications for our available spots. We hope those we were unable to accommodate in this cohort will apply next fall!

Under this grant, STEMAP will test new training formats at the University of Utah and four institutions across the United States. Over the course of the project, the STEMAP research team and consultants will study how these formats might contribute to the long-term scalability and sustainability of STEMAP. This work will help grow STEMAP into a national program to serve a wider range of scientists and public audiences.

There is growing interest in the scientific community in engaging with the public, but the traditional “deficit model” of one-way communication of scientific facts and figures can fall short of making meaningful connections with audiences.

STEMAP Director Nalini Nadkarni was featured in The Guardian describing her field work in the Monteverde cloud forest of Costa Rica. Arguably one of the most sensitive ecosystems, Nalini describes how her study site and the species living there can be real life examples of the detrimental effects of climate change.