Are we reaching far enough?

The definition of outreach is “to reach further than”, however, I have found that when it comes to science outreach initiatives, we are only reaching those already in the loop. Although I personally applaud all these events and ideas and have been part of them for many years – either recruiting to my graduate program or showcasing my institution – it always seems like I am speaking to people who are already familiar with what a PhD program is or what academic research entails, and they typically seem to know which career or degree they want to pursue. I believe the key is to approach and interact with those who are not part of the scientific community.

As an international student, I thought that if I wanted to pursue a career in any way related to healthcare, the only road was medical school. It was not until pretty far into high school that I learned of alternate careers and graduate school. Maybe I am the anomaly, but I would bet that many students in similar positions do not know the many opportunities that are available by pursuing a graduate degree in biomedical sciences. Even though I have now moved on from my graduate training, I wish to remain involved in outreach initiatives. However, I want to do so a little differently, and I hope I can encourage others to do the same.

My idea of outreach will now not be limited to going to a local college to speak about my graduate program and such. I want “to reach further than” I have previously and introduce this amazing career path to people even before they reach high school, to truly go out on a limb and pitch this life to those that are not aware of it,rather than simply preaching to the choir. If we were to ask the average 3rd grader to describe a scientist, I’m sure they would all describe the typical Albert Einstein-esque look – messy hair, old and a little unhinged. And (although we all know someone like this in academia) I want to be part of outreach initiatives that challenge this idea, and instead pitch a lifestyle of endless curiosity and non-stop learning to kids that do nothing but wonder and ask questions themselves. If you had told me when I was a kid myself that I would be working with the technology used in Jurassic Park (CRISPR, gene editing, in-vitro cultures), I would have thought that it was the perfect job. I believe I can sell this same idea to kids now: kids that do not know what a PhD is, that do not think being a scientist is something that is feasible for them, or that have not met someone who is as passionate for learning as they are even later in life. There is a reason why younger kids are better at learning new languages; they are just ready to absorb all the knowledge you throw at them. So, this is the time to go and show them a science experiment, hook them in, and get them to ask “why?”.

I’m going to end my rant here, but I just think there is more we could do, there is more I want to do. Institutions around the world are starting initiatives specifically aimed at primary school children such as The Crick’s annual Discovery Day, or the Vanderbilt Institute for Infection, Immunology and Inflammation ‘MEGAMicrobe’ events which target students ages 5 to 14. This is a great starting point, and I hope that more initiatives like these start to take off, and more people are encouraged to get involved with them. Outreach should not be exclusive to the people already in the loop, the point of it all is to go beyond, and “to reach further than”.

What is one outreach event you have been involved in recently? What ideas do you have or have seen that could be used as science outreach? Comment below!

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