ASLO's Outreach Activities
Prepared by Adrienne Sponberg
ASLO Director of Public Affairs
ASLO’s outreach activities fall into four categories:
- Public outreach
- Career information and mentoring (outreach to students of all levels)
- Education
- Public policy (outreach to policy-makers)
Public Outreach Programs
- Image Library
In 2003, the ASLO Education and Human Resources Committee launched an image library that has ~900 images available for educational purposes. This is one of the most often accessed portions of the ASLO website and is accessed heavily by non-members. Anyone may submit images to the site. The Committee continues to recruit more images for the library, which is fully searchable by keyword, including habitat, organism, sampling technique, and so on.
- New initiatives
In 2005, the ASLO board voted to expand the Public Policy Office and rename it the Public Affairs Office. We are launching three new programs this year aimed at public outreach:
- Creating a public interface for the ASLO website. There is information of interest to the general public on the ASLO website, but it is scattered throughout the site. As our site undergoes a major overhaul, a key component will be creating a public interface that makes this information easily accessible in one place to visitors.
- Aquatic Science Backgrounders. We are in the process of creating 1-2 page background documents that explain the science behind various aquatic resource issues in layman’s terms. A panel of experts in the field will prepare these papers with the assistance of the ASLO Director of Public Affairs. The papers will be peer-reviewed before release. We also intend to have at least some of the papers printed in Spanish as well. The documents will be easily accessible on the ASLO website and limited printed copies will be made available to outreach centers such as zoo, aquaria, nature centers, and other venues where the public is interacting with and learning about aquatic habitats.
- Resource guide for media, educators and policy-makers. ASLO is frequently asked by members of the media, policy-makers, or educators to suggest experts on various topics. The ASLO Director of Public Affairs, with the assistance of the Policy and Education committees, will compile a list of ASLO experts on various topics (e.g.: coastal wetlands, eutrophication, watershed ecology, ocean observing, etc.). The members would need to agree to serve as experts (which means they understand they may get requests for information with a very short turnaround time) and there will be a formal approval process for ASLO to endorse the individuals as reliable sources of information. Note: this project is still in the discussion phase.
Career Information and Mentoring
- ASLO Website
ASLO has several pages on its website which are aimed at providing information about aquatic science careers. These are among the most heavily accessed pages on our website and we frequently are contacting by parents of middle or high school students who are looking for further information. Below is a brief description of the resources available.
Careers in the Aquatic Sciences
ASLO is often asked how students can prepare for careers in aquatic science. The ASLO Student Representatives (studentreps@aslo.org) have provided information to help you to pursue your interest in the aquatic sciences.Careers in Public Policy
Many graduate students in aquatic sciences are interested in jobs that “bridge the gap” between science and policy, but aren’t sure where they are or what they entail. The ASLO Director of Public Affairs has provided general information about policy jobs.Career Link Program
The Career Link Program is designed to help graduating students connect with potential mentors in graduate school, and to find post-graduate employment.External links
A list of external links that provide useful information on careers in the aquatic sciences is also on the website.- Public Policy Training Workshops
The ASLO Director of Public Affairs regularly conducts training workshops for students, postdocs and faculty on how to communicate with lawmakers. The workshops range in time from 1.5 hours (over lunch at an ASLO conference) to 6 hours (off-site at a marine institution). The goal of the workshops is to facilitate ASLO members’ direct communication with their lawmakers regarding their research. The training workshops are very popular with the membership, particularly students. Several workshop participants have followed up after the training either by visiting lawmakers in DC or inviting their representatives to visit their lab facilities.
- Society Resources and Mentoring Programs
ASLO is involved in several initiatives aimed at training and mentoring the future generation of aquatic scientists. Below is a brief list of those components along with a link to further information on each program.
- Student Programs
The Student Programs page offers information and resources for undergraduate and graduate students in the aquatic sciences.
- Minorities in the Aquatic Sciences
ASLO is a co-sponsor of the Minorities in the Aquatic Sciences program, which was initiated in 2001 to establish a database and electronic resources to link minority students interested in the aquatic sciences, and to enhance their participation in aquatic science community activities and careers.
The MAS Program consists of the following:
- Minority Student Directory – A centralized resource for high school, undergraduate and graduate students where they can introduce themselves and their work to the community-at-large.
- Student Registration Form – All minority high school, undergraduate and graduate students are eligible for this database and electronic communication lists. Once registered with the MAS program, minority college students who are US citizens or on permanent or temporary resident status are eligible to become part of the searchable database, which is confidential.
- Profiles of Minority Aquatic Scientists – Highlights individual achievements and perspectives with the goal of identifying minority mentors, role models and established professionals.
- Resources – Materials concerning minorities in the aquatic sciences.
- ASLO – Hampton University Minorities in the Aquatic Sciences Project – Organized by Dr. Benjamin Cuker, this program centers on a workshop for minority students held in conjunction with ASLO’s annual meeting.
- ASLO Professional Development Online Chats
ASLO has launched an initiative to help our student members as they progress through the various stages of their careers. We will make experts from several sectors (i.e., academia, government, non-profit, industry) available to give their perspectives and answer questions you submit on a range of relevant topics. After the initial Q & A session, the discussion will be opened for general input that might arise, and a Q & A for the next topic will begin. Collectively, these chats will be an insightful resource to students seeking a career in the aquatic sciences.
- Programs for Recent PhDs
This program is aimed at recent Ph.D. graduates in the aquatic sciences. Both DIALOG (pronounced dialogue – Dissertations Initiative for the Advancement of Limnology and Oceanography Graduates) and DISCCRS (pronounced discourse – Dissertations Initiative for the Advancement of Climate Change Research) are sponsored by multiple organizations, and their goal is to provide connections across distant disciplines and to establish a global network of colleagues from divergent backgrounds. The programs are coordinated by Dr. Susan Weiler and include:
- Symposia – designed to foster interdisciplinary understanding, communication, career development and networking. Participation is by application. Program reports are generated to characterize demographic information of graduate population and to archive symposia results.
- Resources – annotated list of resources developed by symposium participants.
- Ph.D. Registry –highlights accomplishments of registered graduates and provides a concise overview of emerging research.
Education
ASLO has several initiatives aimed at improving aquatic science education.
- ASLO-STARS
STARS stands for Students Active in Aquatic Science Research. ASLO sponsored its first high school outreach program during its 2005 meeting in Salt Lake City. Students from local communities participated in a luncheon discussion of local watershed issues, a field trip to the Great Salt Lake, and a roundtable discussion of careers. The event culminated with presentations of the student’s own research work at the afternoon poster session. The program was very successful and will be repeated at future ASLO meetings.
- ASLO Meeting Presentations Online
A series of presentations were made at the 2003 ASLO Aquatic Sciences meeting, in conjunction with a special session entitled “Leave No Scientist Behind: How to Get Aquatic Sciences Into K-12 Classrooms”. The original presentations were either oral or poster format, and have been converted to Adobe PDF files, available for download.
- Outreach Activities Web portal
The Outreach Activities section provides scientists and educators a listing of education outreach programs and activities that have been developed by ASLO members. The purpose of this section is two-fold. First, ASLO encourages its members to use this site to discover the innovative education outreach programs that their colleagues have developed, as well as to identify mentors or partners that can provide expertise in developing their own outreach programs. Second, ASLO desires to promote the incorporation of limnology and oceanography into K-16 classrooms and informal education venues. Toward this goal, ASLO invites educators to use this site to find suitable programs for their career enhancement.
- Teaching Tools Web portal
The Teaching Tools section provides educators with a list of teaching tools developed by ASLO members for educating students about limnology and oceanography. Teaching tools are defined broadly here to include any type of learning activity that involves an educator and a group of students. For example, at the university level, teaching tools might include course syllabi, lectures, class discussions, indoor and outdoor laboratories, problem sets, software, inquiry-based learning activities, cooperative learning activities, and experiential learning opportunities. At the primary grade level, teaching tools might include field trips, class demonstrations, and indoor or outdoor activities. Innovative teaching tools not described here are also welcome. To facilitate user access, teaching tools are grouped according to grade level coupled with the age of the student: Kindergarten – 8th grade (ages 5 – 14), 9 – 12th grade (ages 14-18), and university level (ages 18 and up).
Public Policy
In addition to advocacy events such as congressional visits day, signing letters of support for various science policy initiatives, publishing aquatic science policy reports and working with larger science coalitions such as the Coalition for National Science Funding (CNSF), ASLO’s Public Affairs Office conducts several activities geared towards policymakers that would fall under the umbrella of outreach. Below is a brief description of those activities.
- Informational Briefings
On occasion, ASLO will host or co-host topical briefings on Capitol Hill aimed at facilitating dialogue between leading scientists and policy-makers on a specific topic, such as iron fertilization of oceans.
- Classroom on the Hill
In 2006, ASLO is launching a new initiative aimed at providing a crash course on an aquatic science issue for legislative staff in Congress. The classes will take place over a catered lunch and will target staff whose member serves on the relevant committees – i.e., the people who are most directly involved with drafting and amending legislation dealing with aquatic habitats. These sessions aren’t to advocate any particular policy but to give the staff members some basic training in aquatic science so they may better interpret the information presented to them by advocates of various policies. This concept is a result of the ASLO Public Affairs Director’s personal experience as a Knauss fellow in the Senate; most congressional staff have little to no scientific training and would often call on Knauss or AAAS fellows for an unbiased explanation of scientific concepts such as “maximum sustainable yield” in fisheries or carbon sequestration.
- Participation on national advisory committees
ASLO maintains a seat on a subcommittee of the federal Advisory Committee on Water Information. Two ASLO members share responsibility for filling ASLO’s seat on the National Water Quality Monitoring Council. ASLO has also nominated members for seats on other federal policy advisory boards, such as scientific advisory boards and working groups for federal agencies.