The Naturalist Outreach Speakers Bureau is a response to national needs to attract students into science, for scientists who can communicate the value of their work to the public, and to enhance public appreciation for the environment. The program, developed and directed by Senior Research Associate Dr. Linda S. Rayor, sends Cornell University students into local classrooms and community groups to give free talks about natural history, ecology, and behavior. Since its inception, 105 Cornell students have spoken to 920 groups and reached over 22,150 people in individual presentations, and 11,800 people through large-scale outreach events (Insectapalooza, State Fair, etc.). Audiences from 6 to 80 years of age have heard these presentations in school classrooms, at civic organization meetings, and at community events. Beginning in 2005, Dr. Rayor formalized her outreach program into an innovative, interdisciplinary course: Naturalist Outreach Practicum. By reaching across campus to bring together experts in pedagogy, communication, and the sciences, Dr. Rayor has developed a ground-breaking course that addresses a groundswell of student interest in careers that combine their passion for science, education, and civic engagement. As they graduate from Cornell, over 30% of the students have gone on to take leadership roles in communicating science, initiating or seeking opportunities to continue doing scientific outreach around the country.

There is a national need for scientists who can effectively communicate scientific information to the public. Young scientists are often not taught how to share complex information with people of all ages. At the same time, as the environment is increasingly affected by climate change and habitat destruction, the media tends to report biological sciences as being encompassed by molecular biology and medical fields. Environmental biology and associated scientific careers are greatly undersold to children. Children often view scientists strictly as middle-aged white men in white lab coats manipulating test tubes in sterile white laboratories, instead of recognizing the diversity of biologists working on ecological, behavioral, and conservation issues. Environmental biologists need to communicate the importance of their work more effectively and both encourage children to appreciate the biological world around them and to consider future careers in environmental science. Scientific inquiry outreach by college students is an effective way to accomplish all of these goals.

Beginning in 1998, Dr. Linda S. Rayor started the Naturalist Outreach Speakers Bureau outreach program to enhance local K-12 science curricula by sending Cornell University undergraduate and graduate students into local classrooms and community groups to give free scientific inquiry based talks about environmental biology. Beginning in 2005, Dr. Rayor formalized her outreach program into an innovative, interdisciplinary course: Naturalist Outreach Practicum. Cornell students meet for two hours a week to hear practical lectures by Dr. Rayor and guest speakers from biology, education, and communication departments. By reaching across campus to bring together experts in pedagogy, communication, and the sciences, Dr. Rayor has developed a ground-breaking course that addresses a groundswell of student interest in careers that combine their passion for science, education, and civic engagement. The college students learn to communicate science, to teach effectively, and to develop outreach programs suitable for classrooms and museums. They learn how to give lively, experiential, informative presentations that emphasize environmental biology and careers in science. College students are effective and accessible “role model” scientists for children.
In addition, Dr. Rayor organized the first Insectapalooza, a large-scale one-day event dedicated to exciting interest in arthropods through the Department of Entomology, in 2004. Each year since then, she and her outreach students have been intimately involved in developing exhibits and sharing entomology to over 2000 people through that yearly event.

Since its inception, 105 Cornell students and I have spoken to 920 groups and reached over 22,150 people in individual presentations and 11,800 people through large scale outreach events (Insectapalooza, State Fair, etc.). While the program is rarely formally advertised, the outreach program receives more requests to give talks than can be accommodated. The Naturalist Outreach Speakers Bureau performs an important service to local communities. Elementary and secondary students experience lively hands-on biology in a format that’s fun. The college students are viewed as assessible role model ‘scientists’ who emphasize their development as scientists. The goal is for both girls and boys to entertain the possibility of becoming field biologists, and develop an appreciation for the wonders of nature in their backyards. The presentations range from spiders and insect biology, vertebrate and plant adaptations, to global warming. Teachers also benefit as they interact with knowledgeable and extroverted guest speakers who instill enthusiasm for biology and scientific inquiry. Local teachers have established long-term connections with the outreach program, resulting in topics being integrated into their science curricula. Teachers have also found that the science presentations often cultivate curiosity which they can correlate with other subjects in the curriculum. Each year, the outreach program gets more requests for presentations than can be delivered.
Equally important, Cornell students greatly improve their public speaking abilities and learn the joys of teaching and scientific outreach. Many are involved in the Speakers Bureau over several years. A recent survey of former students indicates that as they graduate from Cornell, over 30% of the students have gone on to take leadership roles in communicating science, initiating or seeking opportunities to continue doing scientific outreach around the country. The full scope of Dr. Rayor’s outreach impact is difficult to assess, but it serves a wide and diverse audience.
Insectapalooza has attracted over 2,300 children, teachers, and stakeholders from throughout New York state in the four years it has been offered.

K-12 science outreach

Ronda Hamm