Volunteer Opportunity 

Be a host in our Meet the Scientist Workshop Series!

Did you know that only 0.1% of the world population identifies as a scientist? That means that the large majority of our global community do not personally know a scientist. Do you want to help us change that statistic?

What does a scientist really do? For many in our community, the answer is unclear. That’s where you come in! By joining our Meet the Scientist series, you’ll strengthen your communication skills while giving your community a behind-the-scenes look at your work. 

This engagement is designed for early, mid and late-stage career scientists who want to gain experience in communicating science to a general audience and gain exposure to the community as a local expert. The workshop events are held at our classroom in Rincon or at nearby partner locations, or "field sites". Tell us your preferences and availability, and we’ll coordinate the details with you.

What We’re Looking For:

Interest in developing communication and outreach skills

Enthusiasm for science engagement
Interest in practicing the skills explaining complex ideas in a simple and engaging way

Interest in public speaking to a small group (10-15 people)

Interest in practicing science communication with or without the help of visual presentation aids

Bilingual (Spanish/English) preferred, but not required

All fields of STEM

Timeline:

This an on-going workshop series that is open to applications all year. 

We aim to hold one workshop monthly or bimonthly. 

Workshop Structure:

The Meet the Scientist series connects the public with practicing scientists across career stages. It builds scientists’ communication skills while giving communities a chance to see what science careers look like up close. The audience will be a general audience filled with families, young students, mixed ages, adults or other depending on your interests for engagement. You participate in the design by indicating to us the age range you want to speak to (i.e. only adults, only children ages 5-7 yrs old, only college students, etc). You will be the host of the workshop, with Isla Mar serving a support role for logistics and marketing. 

Each session will be an introduction of the scientist, their background, and their current job as a scientist. Develop your talk to showcase your day-to-day experience in the lab, field or other scientific setting. Bring photos, videos, show-n-tell, or any other dynamic elements that will encourage engagement and spark curiousity from the audience. 

How to Apply:

Please send your inquiries to Lourdes at outreach@islamar.org with the following information: Name, Field of Research or Study, Current or previous research, communication experience in presenting science to a community.