I am thrilled to have worked with the Center for Public Engagement with Science (PEWS) for over 4 years throughout my graduate studies and postdoc at University of Cincinnati. Throughout my time with PEWS, I have learned a variety of skills focused on public engagement including community partnership development, design and implementation of outreach initiatives, and web and social media management.
I started working with PEWS during my second semester of pursuing my PhD in Geosciences at UC in 2019 with the UC Department of Geosciences. My research focused on developing biogeochemical tools from lake sediments to reconstruct past climate. Before coming to UC, I earned my bachelor’s and master’s degrees in geology and chemistry from University at Buffalo (UB). During my time at UB, I developed a strong interest in science outreach and discovering effective methods to communicate research to the public. This passion continued to grow when I started at UC, where I was fortunate enough to come across the option to enroll in the pilot PEWS Public Engagement with Science seminar. In this course, I learned about public engagement with science practices, and I worked with the Cincinnati Nature Center to develop an outreach initiative that focused on invasive plants.
Following this course, in 2021, I started as the PEWS web and social media coordinator. In this internship, I managed the PEWS website, email list, and social media. I was excited to work closer with and learn from the PEWS leadership team. I continued to stay involved with PEWS following this internship where I was a PEWS graduate affiliate. As I continued my research and degree program, I realized I wanted to pursue a career in the future that utilized both my environmental science background and public engagement skills. During the fall semester of 2022, I organized and developed a science outreach initiative focused on bringing scientific research to the local community through hands-on activities and two-way conversations. This program, called Science Harvest, runs at the Northside Farmer’s Market on the third Wednesday of each month. Learn more about this program here.
Over the past year, beginning in the summer of 2023, I served as the PEWS Postdoctoral Fellow. During this time, I deepened my understanding of the center and the importance of public engagement with science in the community. I collaborated with numerous PEWS Faculty Affiliates, developed and maintained community partnerships, and mentored graduate student interns. I was also able to continue and expand Science Harvest by encouraging more graduate students to get involved in planning the monthly activity. I helped plans PEWS events including the Sustainability@UC week, CANS 5th and 6th grade field trip to UC, career panel, and PEWS involvement with the Midwest Regional Sustainability Summit.
Future plans
I am excited to transition the skills I have learned throughout my time with PEWS to my new role as a Public Participation Specialist with the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation. In this role I will be implementing outreach and public engagement initiatives and developing community partnerships. I am looking forward to combining my passions for the environment and public engagement with science in this role.
