Maximizing exposure of minority youths and communities to the wonders of ecological research

Background/Question/Methods

Ecologists conduct research close to and far away from the communities where they live and teach. The activities that engaged these ecologists to pursue their career paths and the societal value of their research are not evident to most of the people with whom they coexist at their research sites, home or university communities. Although ESA and many federal agencies have been proactive in developing and funding programs to provide access for K-12 and minority undergraduates to ecological research, there is still a very limited pipeline of K-12 minority students to ecological careers. Educational partnerships between ecologists and after-school programs can increase involvement of K-12 minority students in ecology work. To engage diverse audiences in appreciation of environmental research, the English/Spanish Project Wonderwise multimedia science curriculum approach showcased the research of nine women scientists, including seven ethnic minority women. The educational materials highlighted their career paths, tools and data collection techniques and explanations of how their research could help solve society’s environmental problems. Each bilingual multimedia kit contained short video clips (biographical and habitat-focused), a CD-ROM with motivating research inquiry functions, and five hour-long educator-led activities that related to the scientist’s field research.

Results/Conclusions

Partnering with after school programs and 4-H educators has brought Wonderwise ecology to communities in 28 states and Canada, and developed guidelines for how ecologists can turn their research experiences into mind-opening virtual ecology education activities that engage minority students, especially Latinos, into appreciating ecology careers. Results show minority youths expressing greater confidence with and gaining greater understanding of science concepts because they identify more closely and positively with the ecological researcher. The human connection to the researcher’s biographical video, how she became interested in environmental research and how she translated that passion for community-based science into her current research activities leads the minority students in a self-discovery adventure in the application of ecological concepts to solve global problems. This virtual human interaction helps raise their self-esteem and empowers them to develop a scientist’s identity, visualizing themselves as future scientists. Ecologists can expand on Wonderwise ecology experiences  by videotaping undergraduates in field research and uploading clips to YouTube (to be accessed by mobile phones or IPads). The undergraduates can serve as virtual ecology career ambassadors, linking the university curriculum, to the environmental justice needs of the surrounding community.