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When I started to think about public engagement of science, few things came to my mind: do table-top activities, give public seminars and get everyone excited about science. Though these were good starting points, the initial excitement slowly faded and nagging questions began creeping: Why am I doing it? How do I benefit from it?

My friend took a sip of his coffee and then smiled. “You would really like this program. You need to apply for this program.” Looking up the program online, I learned that STEMAP participants focused on designing content for segments of the population not typically drawn to science or for people who have limited access to educational materials.

The STEMAP team has been busy since our last newsletter in Spring of 2022! We have hired new staff, moved departments, attended several national conferences, developed a new funding model, and established professional collaborations to facilitate our transition off our seven years of NSF funding with the completion of our most recent AISL grant.

STEMAP has had a busy and exciting spring! Our Spring 2022 STEMAP cohort at the University of Utah (UU) wrapped up with a wonderful Reflection Meeting in May. Our Ambassadors engaged with several new community groups in the Salt Lake Valley both virtually and in person. You can read about the experiences of members of this Spring cohort and one member of the Summer 2021 Research Ethics cohort in the Reflect Section.

STEMAP has had a very busy winter! STEMAP staff have launched trainings for another cohort, with engagement activities happening later this spring and early summer. In addition, STEMAP offered another Broader Impacts workshop with the Research Education office, and has consulted with a number of researchers on their own Broader Impacts interests. We will be leading another one-day workshop later this spring.

STEMAP is pleased to introduce our new Program Manager, Andrew George! Andrew comes to us from the Field Museum of Natural History in Chicago, and is looking forward to working with Ambassadors in our coming Spring cohort. We have a more thorough introduction of Andrew below.

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.