The Engaging Science Sequence is a hands-on and interdisciplinary three-level series open to all UC graduate students. The program aims to equip students with:
- An interdisciplinary foundation and concrete communication skills for public engagement with science.
- Tools to develop their own outreach activities.
- Strategies for engaging in interdisciplinary partnerships.
- Practical tips and techniques for effective public engagement.
Workshop: Sharing Science Experience
Learn how to communicate your research to non-specialists, create effective public engagement activities, and work across disciplines!
This two-day workshop provides graduate students with an introduction to public engagement with science through a hands-on experience at the Cincinnati Museum Center. The workshop is facilitated by a Museum Educator and UC faculty in the sciences and humanities.
Key highlights of the workshop:
- Students learn about the most effective practices in public engagement with science.
- Participants engage with actual museum visitors by facilitating science demonstrations.
This 1-credit workshop is offered twice in the fall semester and once each spring. Students may sign up for either section and select the area designation that best suits them: humanities (HUM), social sciences (SOSC), or natural sciences (NSCI).
Course: Public Engagement with Science
Sharpen your outreach skills, then work as a team to develop a new science-related initiative for a community organization.
This semester-long graduate course focuses on public engagement with science theory and best practices. It covers a variety of topics, including:
- Different types of public engagement with science.
- Methods of collaborating with community partners and the public.
- Learner-centered education techniques.
- Science communication and public speaking, including strategies for effectively sharing your research with broader audiences.
The course concludes with multi-disciplinary team projects conducted in partnership with community organizations in Greater Cincinnati.
Students can select the designation that aligns with their focus—humanities (HUM), social sciences (SOSC), or natural sciences (NSCI). This seminar is offered each spring semester.
Summer Fellowship: Engaging Science
Be matched with a community organization to develop and implement your own public engagement with science activity!
The final step of the Engaging Science sequence is a summer fellowship program. Students who have completed both the Sharing Science Experience workshop and the Public Engagement with Science seminar are eligible to apply to become Engaging Science Fellows.
Fellowship Structure:
- Fellows are matched with community partner organizations based on interests.
- Most of the fellowship time is spent embedded within the partner organization.
- Fellows will:
- Familiarize themselves with the organization’s main projects.
- Learn and practice public engagement within that setting.
- Plan, implement, and assess a public engagement with science initiative in collaboration with the organization.
Financial Support:
- Each Fellow receives $1,000 to support presentations, publications, and related professional development needs.
Counting Sequence Toward Program Requirements
Students in any graduate program at the University of Cincinnati are eligible to enroll in the Engaging Science sequence. The sequence can contribute to requirements in many graduate programs.
- Many Master’s and PhD programs across the university count both courses toward electives.
- Both courses also count as electives for the Museum Studies certificate program, and the summer fellowship can be adapted to meet the Museum Studies internship requirement.
- The seminar counts toward the Philosophy PhD course requirements.
Any students unsure about how the sequence would count toward their graduate program are welcome to email engagingscience@uc.edu for help!