The Power of Engineering Outreach (and what it can do for you) Part I
From deciding which new car to buy, medical treatment to undertake or even understanding the hype behind a new diet fad, the world around us is changing faster than ever. Research is constantly being misrepresented in the media, people are being bombarded with information (including so-called ‘alternative facts’) and scientists and engineers are increasingly being viewed as elite — and that’s become a dirty word. In an increasingly technological and scientific world, it’s perhaps never been more important to engage the public with STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) and its applications.
The terms STEM outreach and science communication have been around for years — but if they’re new to you you might be asking yourself what it’s all about. Quite simply, it’s the act of ‘reaching out’ and engaging an individual or a community with science, technology, engineering and math, all with a view to encourage future participation in the disciplines and improve science literacy. We might be encouraging youth to pursue a career in engineering, or asking hobbyists to support us in a citizen science research project. Perhaps most commonly, we’re simply trying to show people how we can use STEM and its associated methodology to understand the world around us and make informed decisions.
Outreach can take many forms — from talks packed with flashy demonstrations, to radio interviews, blog posts or simply sharing a conversation with someone at a party. The audience, format and aims vary with each encounter but ultimately we’re trying to do one thing — make STEM accessible. And the truth is — it takes a village, especially when it comes to engineering outreach. The challenge here is that engineering isn’t a subject traditionally taught to most people at school so many don’t have a clear understanding of what the discipline is or what an engineer does. That’s why getting involved in engineering outreach can have huge ramifications for a field that is traditionally male dominated and not particularly diverse.
If you’ve been toying with the idea of getting involved in engineering outreach, here are a few of the benefits it can bring:
- Be a Role Model: You can motivate and inspire youth to enjoy, understand and pursue careers in engineering. A lot of research shows that students, particularly girls, are turning away from STEM at an early age (typically around age 13–14). In deselecting science courses, they’re shutting themselves off from a potential future in engineering or engineering technology. While there may be multiple reasons behind this, one proven culprit is a lack of exposure to engineering role models. Simply sharing your story — what you studied at school, how you became an engineer or what you do day-to-day, for example, can be enough for youth to see themselves pursuing a similar career. There’s a reason Geena Davis’ ‘If she can see it, she can be it’ slogan became so popular!
- Develop Communication Skills: Gaining experience speaking in front of different audiences or writing effective articles, tailoring topics to various age ranges, deconstructing jargon and making your field accessible to the public isn’t easy — it’s a learned skill that takes practice, but it’s an exceptionally valuable one at that. Definitely one worth practicing.
- Develop Teaching Skills: Similarly, getting involved in outreach helps you learn how to make STEM material interesting and accessible to different minds. You’ll be amazed at how resourceful you can become when developing hands-on or ‘minds-on’ activities to explain particular topics!
- Develop Leadership Skills: Taking charge of special events and programs, for example, delivering an event during National Engineering Month, helps you gain loads of leadership skills that you may not get from your day job, including volunteer management and event delivery experience.
- Network and Collaborate: Getting involved in outreach allows you to seize the opportunity to work in a team and meet like-minded people. There’s a huge community of volunteers and so-called ‘scicommers’ out there who you can learn from and share ideas with.
- Make a Difference: Whether you open-up one mind or a hundred, getting involved in engineering outreach is a hugely rewarding experience. Long after someone’s forgotten a particular fact or figure, they’ll remember you and your enthusiasm for the subject — it’s that kind of positive encounter that leaves a lasting impression.
- Personal Satisfaction: Sharing your love of engineering with others can not only inspire them — you might just find yourself inspired by their enthusiasm in return! Reconnect with your profession and rediscover why you chose to pursue it in the first place.
We all have our own reasons for getting involved in engineering outreach, but whatever your motivations may be, outreach offers the chance to give something back to education and the wider community, whilst giving you the chance to develop your own skills and improve yourself.
