Learning From Engineering and Computer Science About Communicating The Field To The Public

Abstract:

The engineering and computer science community has taken the lead in actively informing the public about their discipline, including the societal contributions and career opportunities. These efforts have been intensified in regards to informing underrepresented populations in STEM about engineering and computer science.

Are there lessons to be learned by the geoscience community in communicating the societal impacts and career opportunities in the geosciences, especially in regards to broadening participation and meeting Next Generation Science Standards? An estimated 35 percent increase in the number of geoscientist jobs in the United States forecasted for the period between 2008 and 2018, combined with majority populations becoming minority populations, make it imperative that we improve how we increase the public’s understanding of the geosciences and how we present our message to targeted populations.

This talk will look at recommendations from the National Academy of Engineering’s Changing the Conversation: Messages for Improving the Public Understanding of Engineering, and communication strategies by organizations such as Code.org, to highlight practices that the geoscience community can adopt to increase public awareness of the societal contributions of the geosciences, the career opportunities in the geosciences, and the importance of the geosciences in the Next Generation Science Standards. An effort to communicate geoscience to the public, Earth is Calling, will be compared and contrasted to these efforts, and used as an example of how geological societies and other organizations can engage the general public and targeted groups about the geosciences.