ENVISION 2021; Empower Conference; Science for Non-Scientists; Remembering 2020
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Welcome to 2021!
Hello! Please enjoy the following topics in our Science Outreach Newsletter for January 2021:
- Updates about ENVISION 2021
- Registration is open for the Empower Conference
- Science for the Non-scientist video series
- Remembering 2020 in Science Outreach
ENVISION 2021
Thank you to everyone who gave us feedback last month! Based on our survey results, we plan to hold a half-day virtual ENVISION on Saturday, March 20, 2021. We'll send out a registration link early next semester. In the meantime, check back often for more information on our ENVISION page!
The Graduate Women in Science State College Chapter is happy to announce that registration is now open for the 2021 Empower Conference! The event will be on Saturday, February 6th via Zoom! Empower (formerly known as Voices) is an annual professional development and networking conference for women and men in STEM at all career stages: students, post-docs, and professionals. This year, the theme is Redefining Community, and the featured keynote speaker will be Raven Baxter aka Raven the Science Maven. Registration cost is $5.45 ($4.42 for PSU students).
Science for the Non-Scientist
Dr. Shamim Sinnar, Assistant Professor of Medicine at the Hershey Campus of Penn State, has designed a number of videos for students and adults interested in molecular biology, medicine, and infectious diseases, such as the SARS-CoV-2 virus. Her presentations break down science using clear, non-technical language and colorful diagrams! Included in the series are videos answering the following questions:
We will be adding Dr. Sinnar's videos to our Virtual Science Festival soon, but they are available below for you to view now!
2020 in Review
The Office of Science Outreach is excited to start a new year filled with new possibilities! However, before we dismiss 2020 entirely, we want to pause and remember some of the unprecedented things we did and learned throughout the year. Please join us in reflecting on some highlights!
We held our first, adult-only science event – Explore with Eberly: CSI Investigations! Twenty-five adults registered for this all-day event on a wintery Saturday in January. After examining a mock crime scene, dusting for fingerprints, and conducting various laboratory tests, participants enjoyed lunch in Pollock Dining Hall and listened to a presentation about historic forensic investigations. Whether or not they solved the mock crime, our "adult campers" had fun learning about the challenges of a crime scene investigator!
In February, we excitedly opened registration for 11 of our summer camps for Science-U 2020. Almost 400 campers registered in a day’s time! We also had 25 campers who received scholarship awards and 27 others who applied to special programs.
On Leap Day, Feb. 29th, we welcomed over one hundred middle- and high-school young women to our University Park campus for ENVISION: STEM Career Day Supporting Young Women! Participants from across Pennsylvania engaged with graduate student keynote speakers who shared their inspiring journeys into science. They also attended hands-on workshops designed and conducted by Penn State faculty, students, and staff; networked with professional scientists; bonded with college-aged mentors; and enjoyed a fun photo booth during the lunch break. Little did we realize that ENVISION would be our last, in-person event of 2020!
We welcomed Caitlin Teti, a new Education Program Specialist, to our team in early March! She had worked with our office in the past as a camp director, so we were all eager for her to jump right into our plans for Science-U! Unfortunately, about two weeks later, the COVID-19 pandemic began. Penn State students were sent home and our office staff was instructed to work from home for just three weeks.
Obviously, three weeks of remote work turned into ten months (so far!), and the Office of Science Outreach used that time to re-organize our plans and learn new procedures. We benefited from many on-line training sessions, webinars, and meetings about Zoom, other camps, virtual youth programming, etc.
In mid-April we reviewed information we had gathered about the pandemic and came to the disappointing decision, but ultimately the correct one, to cancel Science-U camps for the summer. A flurry of email announcements and camp refunds occupied the remainder of the month!
Another change in April was that Tim Gleason was appointed as our Interim Director. Eberly College of Science officially named him Director of Science Outreach in October. Teresa Diehl, associate dean of administration in the Eberly College of Science, echoed our sentiments when she was quoted as saying, “We are very happy to have Tim at the helm of the Office of Science Outreach.”
In May we focused on ways to promote Science Outreach beyond the University Park campus. By the following month we had created this electronic newsletter and two virtual camps! The Science Outreach Newsletter began as a bi-weekly communication and shared science activities that could be done at-home, as well as information about some of our Science-U partners. With students heading back to school in the Fall, the newsletter was scaled back to a monthly schedule. Click here to review our past newsletters!
Two virtual camps, Designing the Future and Finding Your Roots, were both conducted asynchronously for 4-6 weeks in June and July. After receiving instructions at the beginning of each week, campers would work independently on at-home projects. We were often amazed at the results they shared in videos and photos! Having successfully organized these camps, we were inspired to create additional virtual programs!
We organized our first synchronous program in August, in conjunction with the National Autism Conference. The 4-day Introduction to Robots and Coding camp for students on the autism spectrum was well attended and encouraged students to share ideas with our staff and one another. We also spent the month assisting with the Virtual AstroFest 2020 and learning about the mechanics of running a virtual science conference.
When school districts and Penn State resumed classes in September, we felt it was best for the safety of students and staff to cancel our Fall outreach activities of Exploration-U, Haunted-U, and Think Outside the Beaker. What could replace these fun and educational in-person events? Fun and educational virtual events, of course!
We contributed to the nationally recognized USA Science and Engineering Festival by recruiting Penn State colleagues to share STEM videos and demonstrations at a sponsored, virtual booth. Then by October, we created our own Virtual Science Festival to serve as a repository of STEM activities, video demonstrations, and laboratory tours! We also conducted a few webinar sessions to engage the community. New content is continuing to be added, and we hope to film some more webinars this year, so be sure to check back often!
The end of 2020 gave our office opportunities to complete grant applications, implement a new financial system, and of course, do some more planning! As previously announced, ENVISION 2021 will be held virtually on March 20, 2021 so that more young women can attend and benefit from learning about the many career options in STEM! Registration information will be available in our next Science Outreach Newsletter. Likewise, Science-U 2021 is being considered, and camp plans will be announced February 1, 2021. Keep informed by following us on Facebook as well.
Thank you!
- We appreciate all the Penn State faculty and students who supported our outreach efforts in 2020 by sharing their research interests!
- We also are grateful for you - all of our many community partners, teachers, and students who joined us for our inaugural virtual events!
Our plan is to return to in-person programming when we can do so safely, but if 2020 has taught us anything, it’s that virtual Science Outreach is fun, feasible, and far-reaching! Our office looks forward to providing you with more information about the exciting research being conducted at Penn State, and by our community partners, throughout 2021! Have a happy and safe new year!
Meet our team!
Our Office of Science Outreach staff members are happy to assist you with any questions related to Science Outreach. Bookmark our website at https://science.psu.edu/outreach for more information or email us at outreach@science.psu.edu.
We would love to hear from you!
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