We are very excited about everything University of Cincinnati’s Center for Public Engagement with Science (PEWS) was able to accomplish during 2023. Here is a look back on some highlights from our year at PEWS:
Our events and outreach
In March, PEWS hosted a visit to UC for 35 fifth graders from the Clifton Area Neighborhood School. This visit was led by PEWS faculty affiliates Takuya Konishi and Whitney Gaskins and allowed students to learn more about campus life at UC.
PEWS also co-sponsored two events led by Faculty Affiliate, Elizabeth Lanphier. These two events, “Transformational Justice, Social Determinants of Health” and “Confronting Climate Change in a ‘Perfect Moral Storm”, are both part of the UC’s Installment of the Bioethics series. These events can be viewed on the PEWS YouTube channel. PEWS also supported three faculty affiliate projects, Carlie Trott’s “Equity-Driven Climate Resiliency Planning in Cincinnati”, Abel Gustafon’s “Are moral appeals about renewable energy more persuasive”, and Brooke Crowley’s 4th grade field trip with the Cincinnati Parks.
Our focus on sustainability
Over the past year, PEWS has focused on our sustainability initiative, which is an interdisciplinary initiative with collaborations between PEWS faculty affiliates and community partners focused on sustainability. PEWS has a sustainability focused working group of faculty affiliates who were awarded $20,000 from UC’s Office of Provost to support PEWS sustainability projects. We also hosted the annual UC Sustainability Awards & Community Partner Showcase in April with UC’s Office of Sustainability. This event brought together over 15 community organizations to share their involvement in local sustainability research and engagement.
People and partners of PEWS
Throughout 2023, PEWS has expanded with five new PEWS Faculty Affiliates, for a total of 22 Faculty Affiliates from seven colleges at UC. Our network of external community partners has grown to 14, including three new community partners this year.
In July, we were joined by our PEWS Postdoctoral Fellow, Meg Corcoran, who came to us from UC’s Department of Geosciences. She has worked to expand PEWS through overseeing PEWS communications, supervising PEWS interns and assisting with planning events and outreach initiatives. With the help of PEWS Sustainability Fellow, Hans Naake, she has continued to bring hands-on science activities to the Northside Farmers Market.
PEWS welcomed a new cohort of interns and fellows including two Sustainability Fellows, two Science Fair Interns and our Web and Social Media Coordinator. We also have continued our Graduate Student Affiliate Program, welcoming graduate students to serve as leaders in PEWS.
Expansion of PEWS courses
We have continued to expand our public engagement with science training with out first semester of the Sharing Science Experience, a 1-credit two day workshop for graduate students. This course is the first of many as part of the awarded funding to PEWS from the Innovations in Graduate Education program through NSF.
Additionally, our PEWS Research & Discussion Group (R&D) has expanded with more participates from a broader range of disciplines with the option for students to take the class for course credit.
What’s next for PEWS
As we look to 2024, we are excited about our upcoming spring semester events including our Sustainability @ UC week and our involvement in the Midwest Regional Sustainability Summit.
Thank you for your participation with PEWS. Our community’s input and contributions are invaluable. We wish you a restful and enjoyable holiday season!