A Day in the life of Community Outreach and Education

Over winter break, I assisted Laura Linn, who is in charge of community outreach and education programs at the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute. My responsibilities included updating educational programs and traveling with Laura to local schools to present the programs, and helping with volunteer training.

My most valuable learning experience was being able to essentially live a “day in the life” of someone involved with community outreach and education programs. I was able to see first hand the sort of planning and communication that is involved with the job, and see the planning follow through in presentations of programs at schools and tours at the SCBI.

In terms of life at William and Mary, my experience has allowed me to realize that programs like those offered to local schools near the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute would be very beneficially to the James City County area, where there are also a lot of high-risk students. It has inspired me to hopefully be involved with local school programs that my major department, Geology, puts together, because I now see how beneficial they are. Academically I will be able to incorporate what I have learned into class discussions and in terms of deciding whether or not I will choose to go into education. My experience has shown that a degree of education allows you to be involved in outreach programs where you present to kids, but in a different setting from the everyday classroom.

My project was beneficial to the area of Front Royal, because I was contributing to the ideals of the SCBI, enlightening the public about the research the SCBI does, and helping school children realize the careers in science and the importance of conservation. Many of the children did not know that the research facility was so close to them, and that there are opportunities associated with it. As I stated in my proposal, the town of Front Royal thrives on a dwindling tourist economy because it is a gateway to Skyline Drive of the National Park Service, and I wanted to help influence the students on opportunities in science that can be followed through the Smithsonian and beyond.

There really is not anything I would change about my experience, I enjoyed each day that I spent at the SCBI. I learned lots of new and exciting things about the research center, and enjoyed going out to the local schools and presenting material and interacting with students. I am most proud that I could be a part of community outreach programs and learn more about the local area of Front Royal, as well as the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute.