This session will focus on youth and adult attitudes, understanding, and behavior with respect to ecology. We will feature research papers, case studies, and synthesis papers related to both youth and adult ecological education and outreach. Miller’s notable work researching public understanding of science will serve as the keynote of our discussion. From there, Reynolds and Krasny will focus their research on integrating different formal and informal learning audiences with members of the community to promote ecological understanding. Ballard, Thomas, and Jordan will discuss research on how ecologists can engage public audiences, but each will take a different perspective with respect to stakeholder initiation and ultimate benefits. Community-, individual-, and scientist-driven projects will be discussed with respect to scientific and human educational outcomes in each of these three presentations. Finally, Stylinski and Jablonski will discuss important issues with respect to the integration of different tools and audiences. Both methodological and social issues, especially as they pertain to underserved audiences, will be discussed. Our intent is to collectively develop a research agenda that can guide future work. We intend to follow our session with a special section where a future research agenda regarding public understanding of ecology can be developed.