The Center for Public Engagement with Science (PEWS) regularly partners with UC researchers on their grant activities related to public outreach and interdisciplinary collaboration, especially on federal grants like those sponsored by the National Science Foundation. These partnerships have resulted in a variety of exciting and meaningful projects engaging UC students, the Cincinnati community, and beyond.
Read on to learn about some recent collaborations, from a physics and dance program to an online catalog of Galápagos researchers!
Interested in collaborating on a grant? Email us at engagingscience@uc.edu
Future of Semiconductors (FuSe)
PEWS is proud to have contributed to the success of an NSF Future of Semiconductors (FuSe) grant by UC Applied Science Assistant Professor Sarah Watzman in collaboration with four other academic institutions. Led by Curriculum and Pedagogy Director Melissa Jacquart, PEWS developed a series of workshops to train faculty and students interested in the semiconductor industry. These workshops cover everything from information about the technology to best practices in science and technology communication. Several graduate students supported the project as part-time PEWS interns.
This training will support the launch of a new UC micro-credential in technology communication. You can learn more about the FuSe initiative here!
Physics and Dance
In addition to the FuSe project, Dr. Sarah Watzman also received a prestigious National Science Foundation Faculty Early Career Development (NSF CAREER) award for her work studying how magnetism can be used to enhance the conversion of thermal energy into electricity (read the UC news article about the project here!) PEWS was brought in to support the educational component of the project, which involved working with the Black Box Dance Theatre to engage people of all ages in a week-long workshop exploring how difficult physics concepts can be explained through dance. Dr. Melissa Jacquart also delivered guest lectures to participants on the basics of scientific processes and effective communication.
The workshop culminated in a public dance performance and talk-back with participants and audience members. Learn more about the Physics and Dance project here!
Galápagos Resource Catalog
PEWS is also a collaborating partner on the Island Systems Integration Consortium (ISIC), an online resource catalog that connects scientists and scholars working on research related to the Galápagos, funded by an NSF grant with Lucinda Lawson as the UC PI. This catalog was developed in part by PEWS graduate students in the Public Engagement with Science seminar.
In addition to creating a cross-disciplinary community, the consortium also seeks to train and mentor early career scientists. In support of this goal, Dr. Melissa Jacquart and PEWS Director Dr. Angela Potochnik led scientists in a workshop on science communication at the first cross-institutional conference associated with the grant. Dr. Jacquart also serves on the advisory board for the project.
Batwa Storytelling
PEWS Faculty Affiliate and UC Anthropology Professor Kathleen Grogan works in Uganda with the Batwa, one of the oldest indigenous groups in central Africa. She currently has an NSF grant focused on studying how massive environmental changes have affected the Batwa at the genetic level. PEWS has supported the grant’s broader impacts, which focus on the preservation and sharing of Batwa stories. PEWS postdoc Dr. Kate Nicole Hoffman accompanied Dr. Grogan on her recent trip to Uganda to speak with the Batwa community and collect stories. Some of these stories are being shared with the Cincinnati community, along with a variety of homemade Batwa crafts, in an exhibit at the Clifton Cultural Arts Center. Read about the storytelling project here!
These are a sampling of the funded grants here at UC on which PEWS has partnered. Since 2020, PEWS has partnered on a total of 37 grants, eight of which have been funded and eight of which are now pending.
PEWS is especially well positioned to support undergraduate and graduate student training in public outreach and interdisciplinary collaboration, advise and support outreach initiatives of a variety of kinds in K-12 schools or for the public, and record and disseminate public-facing products.
Interested in collaborating with PEWS on a grant? Email us at engagingscience@uc.edu!