Check out a story map about some of our outreach work here: https://arcg.is/1be9f5
One of the most rewarding facets of my work is the opportunity to reach out to audiences beyond the classroom. Channel Islands Future Scientists Camp In addition to a number of presentations to lay audiences, from elementary school to birding clubs, I am lucky to collaborate with UC Santa Barbara's Office of Education Partnerships to give students that would otherwise not be exposed to field ecology and STEM experiences an opportunity to participate in hands-on experiences in fascinating places such as Santa Rosa Island in the Channel Islands National Park. Students from community colleges, as well as young undergrads from UCSB and CSU Channel Islands, are joining a group of researchers and faculty members for week-long trips to the Channel Islands National Park. In addition to learning about the scientific method and the island's ecology, the students will collect real-world data as citizen scientists. Read more here: http://www.news.ucsb.edu/2016/016733/mentorship-and-motivation UCSB Smithsonian Scholars Mentoring Starting in the fall of 2015, I have had the pleasure of mentoring UC Santa Barbara's initial group of Smithsonian Scholars. The students attended a number of workshops at the Sedgwick Reserve in Los Olivos, CA, where they learned about the ecological dynamics in oak ecosystems, from pollination to seed dispersal. During the 2016 spring field season, they joined me for weekly phenology surveys of our study population of valley oaks (Quercus lobata), learned how to enter and analyze data, as well as write a summary paper about scientific literature. Presentations During my time on Santa Cruz Island and at the Hastings Natural History Reserve, I have had the opportunity to reach out to many school groups that visited. Furthermore, I have organized several field trips with friends that are teachers at local schools.
If you are interested in an outreach event about i) oaks, ii) ornithology, iii) behavioral biology, iv) how to become a scientist etc, please contact me ([email protected]). I consider it my privilege to talk to as many open ears as possible. |