“Science Fiesta!” Combining student-led community outreach with local culture

Abstract

Science outreach improves science literacy among the public and communication skills of scientists. However, despite the array of well-documented benefits, robust outreach efforts are often absent from communities which stand to benefit the most from these initiatives. Here, we introduce "Science Fiesta," a graduate student-led outreach initiative which utilizes cultural traditions of South Texas as a vehicle to establish self-sustaining interactions between scientists and their local community. Event assessment surveys indicated that attendees found the event both fun and educational. At the same time, graduate students who organized the event and participated in outreach reported that they strengthened a variety of professional skills important for their future careers. More importantly, the event had a substantial positive impact on enthusiasm for science outreach. Both public attendees and graduate students reported Travis J. Block ( ), Milos Marinkovic ( ), Jodie Gray (

Interactive youth science workshops benefit student participants and graduate student mentors

“…Moreover, such events constitute an opportunity for scientists to develop science communication skills, such as the ability to break down complex concepts and deliver a concise, factual message in an engaging manner [7,8]. STEM graduate students provide a unique resource as communicators of science during outreach, because they are often at the forefront of scientific discovery and also benefit greatly from developing communication skills at this early stage of their career [9,10,11].…”