Progress 04/01/23 to 03/31/24
Outputs
Target Audience:The Science Influencers program features cross-disciplinary mentors for 30 Texas A&M University System students who participate in the five-year Science Influencers program. Of the 30 participants, 50% will be from underrepresented minorities, recruited from Texas A&M University System schools (e.g., Texas A&M-Galveston, Texas A&M-Corpus Christi, Prairie View A&M University, Texas A&M-Kingsville) and mentored by scientists and science communication specialists across public and private organizations. All targeted participants are enrolled or have interests in STEM- and FANH science-related programs. Changes/Problems:None to date. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided? Seven students completed the Science Communication and Public Engagement course in Spring 2023, and 22 students enrolled in the course for Spring 2024. Created and funded five internships for Summer 2023. Hosted Science Influencers Research Symposium for Science Influencers to present their research and summer internship experiences; 60 stakeholders registered for the event. Negotiating eight funded internships for summer 2024. Hosted Science Influencers Retreat during May 2023 to provide Science Influencers with leadership and communication skills training (five workshops and one tour). How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?Students shared their Science Influencers research projects and internship experiences with ~60 stakeholders nationwide via the online Science Influencers Research Symposium hosted in November 2023. Each week of the summer internship, students shared their research results via the Science Influencers digital media accounts and continued to engage audiences on their personal social media accounts. The Influencers developed and disseminated a total of 60 posts about their internship and REEU experiences for the Science Influencers social media accounts. All five of the Science Influencers who completed internships during Summer 2023 shared their experiences in the program and promoted the program among their peer groups at two student organizations or classes (10 total) during the fall 2023 semester as part of our recruitment strategies. The Influencer who completed her internship at MIT was accepted by the Texas A&M-College Station, College of Engineering to take over the College's Instagram Reels for one day in Fall 2023 where she talked about her experience as a Science Influencer and shared a day in her life as an engineering major and how the program benefitted her. Additionally, we announced the acceptance of the 2024 cohort on the Science Influencers' social media accounts and the website. As part of our recruiting strategy, we used social media to provide program awareness and recruit the 2024 cohort of seven students. We have closed the gap in terms of disseminating information, but we still have some areas to focus on as we work to develop a robust digital media presence. As for the website, we spent a considerable amount of time developing the website, making it more robust, and collecting and posting resources for current cohort members. This provides the cohort members with materials they can use to develop their research and dissemination skills. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?By the end of the next reporting period, we will have graduated the third cohort of the Science Influencers program, and we will have our fourth cohort actively participating in the program. We will continue to revise our recruitment plans and focus on personal experience by asking the students in the current cohort to present about their experience to peer groups. Because of the increased interest in the Science Communication and Public Engagement course, we will offer it as a stacked course in Spring 2025 so undergraduate and graduate students can take the course. We will also make some adjustments to the course to make it more theoretical and not practical to accommodate a wide range of students. This will extend the impact of the course and USDA funds to a broader secondary audience. In the next reporting year, we will collaborate with the REEU-ECN: The FANH Scientists Network and offer joint workshops and training that will benefit students across REEU programs. In addition to recruiting and retaining Science Influencers, we will continue to focus our efforts on building a following on our Science Influencers media platforms, publishing work from the Science Influencers program, and publishing social media content that the Science Influencers created as part of the course and their internships. Our Science Influencers manual will be disseminated to the participants on June 1, which will help them engage in a rewarding internship experience. Also, we will complete the first formative evaluation and continue to work to recruit students from Texas A&M University System campuses other than College Station.
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
During year three of the project, we graduated the second cohort of Science Influencers (five of the six students admitted to the second cohort with one choosing to complete the summer and fall assignments with the 2024 cohort) and recruited and started the third cohort of Science Influencers (seven students). Five Science Influencers from cohort two completed the summer internship portion of the program. One of these five students completed her internship at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology with a distinguished chemical engineering scholar. Two Science Influencers have applied to professional programs to continue their education--one to medical school and one to veterinarian school. The other two students are continuing their research in their specific areas. In May 2023, to help the students establish a cohort environment, we hosted a two-day Science Influencers Retreat on the Texas A&M University campus. During the retreat, students participated in science communications and leadership training, toured 12th Man Productions (Texas A&M Athletics' award-winning television and video production studio), participated in team building activities, interacted with popular science communicators on campus, and had professional headshots taken for their use throughout their academic program. In Fall 2023, each Science Influencer presented their research project and internship experience at the second annual Research Symposium. Each Influencer was required to present for 20 minutes and answer questions about their project. Sixty participants registered for the two-hour online event. During the last reporting year, we revised our recruitment plans based on successes and failures and focused more on the experience of past cohorts to recruit future cohorts. Also, we sent direct emails to gate-keeping advisors of our underrepresented campus. An advisor at Texas A&M International University posted the opportunity on Handshake, an internship platform, which attracted TAMIU students to the program. Enrollment in the Science Communication and Public Engagement course at Texas A&M-College Station increased beyond the Science Influencers cohort with 15 additional students enrolling in and completing the course. Because of the variations in schedules, we were unable to host the spring 2024 distinguished lecture and will host it in the fall 2024 with another lecture planned for spring 2025. We recruited the third cohort of the Science Influencers program in Fall 2023, and the 2024 cohort was notified of their acceptance prior to Thanksgiving Break. We had 11 completed applications for the 2024 cohort. The total number of applicants who applied for the program was lower than last year, but overall, the applicants were of higher quality. We believe this is a direct result of our revised recruiting methods that include past experiences of cohort members. Overall, we achieved a diverse set of applicants for the Science Influencers third cohort. Table 1 shows demographics for valid applications in the third cohort. Table 1. Demographics for Science Influencers Program Applications, Fall 2023 (n = 11) Variable f % Female 5 45 Male 6 55 White 3 27 Black 1 9 Hispanic 7 64 Texas A&M - College Station 6 55 Texas A&M - International 5 45 Freshman 1 9 Sophomore 4 37 Junior 3 27 Senior 3 27 The third cohort of Science Influencers started the program January 1, 2024. We have seven Science Influencers in the third cohort, with four from Texas A&M-College Station (majoring in agricultural communications, biological and agricultural engineering, and two in biomedical engineering) and three from Texas A&M International (two majoring in biology and one in computer science engineering). Additionally, one Science Influencer from last year, who is a nutrition major at Texas A&M-College Station, will complete her internship in summer 2024. Information about the Science Influencers is on the program's Twitter page. All eight have secured an internship.
Publications
- Type:
Websites
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2023
Citation:
Website revamp, increased activity on social media (60 science-based social media posts showcasing internship activities and Science Influencer experiences).
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Progress 04/01/22 to 03/31/23
Outputs
Target Audience:The Science Influencers program features cross-disciplinary mentors for 30 Texas A&M University System students who participate in the five-year Science Influencers program. Of the 30 participants, 50% will be from underrepresented minorities, recruited from Texas A&M University System schools (e.g., Texas A&M-Galveston, Texas A&M-Corpus Christi, Prairie View A&M University, Texas A&M-Kingsville) and mentored by scientists and science communication specialists across public and private organizations. All targeted participants are enrolled or have interests in STEM- and FANH science-related programs. Changes/Problems:
Nothing Reported
What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided? Enrolled six students in the Science Communication and Public Engagement course in Spring 2022, and seven students are enrolled in the course for Spring 2023. Created and funded five internships for Summer 2022. Hosted Science Influencers Research Symposium for Science Influencers to present their research and summer internship experiences; 48 stakeholders registered for the event. Negotiating six funded internships for summer 2023. Hosted Dr. Jessica Eise, assistant professor of social and environmental challenges at the University of Texas at San Antonio, on Texas A&M University's campus for a science communications seminar; ~90 stakeholders attended the event in person or online. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?Students shared their Science Influencers research projects and internship experiences with ~50 stakeholders nationwide via the online Science Influencers Research Symposium hosted in November 2022. Each week of the summer internship, students shared their research results via their personal and their mentors' digital media accounts. As part of their summer internships, students also hosted activities for the communities they served. One example of this was one Science Influencer worked with Phytoplankton for the Curious Kids Summer Program and TAMUG Sea Camp. Additionally, we announced the acceptance of the 2023 cohort on the Science Influencers' social media accounts and the website. As part of our recruiting strategy, we provided program awareness and recruited the 2023 cohort of six students. In addition to modifying the recruitment efforts we used the first year of the program, we asked each current cohort members to attend at least two classes or student events to share their experiences in the program and promote the program among their peer groups. In Fall 2022, we hired a digital media strategist to help us increase our following on our social media accounts and help us with disseminating information beyond the Science Influencers and their mentors. We have made great strides in disseminating information related to the program, but we still have gaps to fill, which is a priority in the next reporting year of the project. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?By the end of the next reporting period, we will have graduated the second cohort of the Science Influencers program, and we will have our third cohort actively participating in the program. We will continue to revise our recruitment plans and focus on personal experience by asking the students in the current cohort to present about their experience to peer groups. Now that the Science Communication and Public Engagement course is a permanent course at Texas A&M-College Station, we will work to recruit students into the course who are not students enrolled in the Science Influencers program. This will extend the impact of the course and USDA funds to a broader secondary audience. In addition to recruiting and retaining Science Influencers, we will continue to focus our efforts on building a following on our Science Influencers media platforms, publishing popular press and academic literature related to the Science Influencers program, working with Science Influencers to publish work for their summer internship collaborations, and publishing social media content that the Science Influencers created as part of the course and their internships. We will also continue to build out the website as mentors and participants join the program. One specific focus of our efforts in the next reporting period will be on finalizing the Science Influencers manual to help students gain the most in their summer internship experiences. Another such focus will be to identify the next science communications scholar to present their work on campus as part of the science communications lecture component of the project. Also, we will conduct a follow-up study with the students in the first cohort and work to recruit more students from Texas A&M University System campuses other than College Station.
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
During year two of the project, we graduated the first cohort of Science Influencers (five of the six students admitted to the first cohort) and recruited and started the second cohort of Science Influencers (six students). Five Science Influencers from cohort one completed the summer internship portion of the program. One of these five students completed his internship at Chaminade University of Honolulu with a scientist on the "Analytical Scientist Power List 2022." That student is now pursuing a doctoral degree in biochemistry and molecular biology. Another Science Influencer was offered a part-time job with the Coastal & Marine Resources Texas Sea Grant branch of the Galveston County Extension office after her internship there. The other three students are continuing their research in their specific areas, with one of them pursuing other research projects in an undergraduate biology lab on the College Station campus. In Spring 2022, to help the students establish a cohort environment, we hosted a two-day Science Influencers Retreat on the Texas A&M University campus. During the retreat, students participated in science communications and leadership training, toured 12th Man Productions (Texas A&M Athletics' award-winning television and video production studio), participated in team building activities, and interacted with popular science communicators on campus. In Fall 2022, each Science Influencer presented their research project and internship experience at the first annual Research Symposium. Each Influencer was required to present for 20 minutes and answer questions about their project. Forty-eight participants registered for the two-hour online event. In addition, we have revised our recruitment plans based on successes and failures, and we have focused more on using past cohort's personal experiences to recruit future cohorts. The request for the Science Communication and Public Engagement course to become a permanent course at Texas A&M-College Station was approved, and the permanent course offering will be available beginning in Fall 2023. Also, in late Fall 2022, we hired a digital media strategist to help us build robust Science Influencers social media accounts and publish social media content related to the experiences of the cohort members. The hired strategist has done some work on the website and will continue working with Texas A&M AgriLife to make our website more robust and to market content using creative approaches. In February 2023, we hosted the first science communications scholar on campus for a distinguished lecture. Jessica Eise, an assistant professor of social and environmental challenges at the University of Texas at San Antonio, discussed her work on "Supporting Colombian Coffee Farmers Facing Climate Change Through Tailored Information Solutions." National and international scholars (~90) joined her talk by attending in person and online. In addition to giving her seminar, she met individually and in small groups with Texas A&M University students and faculty (~30) to discuss the practical applications of being a science influencer and participating in controversial science conversations. We started recruiting for the second cohort of the Science Influencers program in August 2022, with applications due in October, and participants were selected and notified about their acceptance into the program prior to Thanksgiving Break. Although 35 entries were recorded through the Science Influencers application portal, only 12 were complete (e.g., applicant's name). The total number of applicants who applied for the program was lower than last year, but overall, the applicants were of higher quality. Therefore, we believe our revised recruiting efforts were successful despite the lower number of students who applied to the program. Overall, we achieved a diverse set of applicants for the Science Influencers second cohort. Table 1 shows demographics for valid applications in the second cohort. Table 1. Demographics for Science Influencers Program Applications, Fall 2022 (n = 12) Variable f % Female 7 58 Male 5 42 White 2 17 Black 3 25 Asian 2 17 Multi 1 8 Hispanic 4 33 Prairie View A&M 2 17 Texas A&M - College Station 8 67 Texas A&M - Galveston 1 8 Texas A&M - Kingsville 1 8 Senior 3 25 Sophomore 5 42 Junior 3 25 Freshman 1 8 The second cohort of Science Influencers started the program January 1, 2023. We have six Science Influencers, with five from Texas A&M-College Station (majoring in agricultural communications, wildlife and fisheries sciences, pre-med chemistry, zoology, and nutrition) and one from Texas A&M-Galveston (majoring in biomedical engineering). Information about the Science Influencers is on the program's Twitter page. Two of the six Science Influencers have secured an internship for the summer, and the other four are in the final stages of securing their internships.
Publications
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Progress 04/01/21 to 03/31/22
Outputs
Target Audience:The Science Influencers program features cross-disciplinary mentors for 30 Texas A&M University System students who participate in the five-year Science Influencers program. Of the 30 participants, 50% will be from underrepresented minorities, recruited and mentored from Texas A&M University System schools (e.g., Texas A&M-Galveston, Texas A&M-Corpus Christi, Prairie View A&M University, Texas A&M-Kingsville). All targeted participants are enrolled or have interests in STEM- and FANH science-related programs. Changes/Problems:
Nothing Reported
What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided? Established a Science Communication and Public Engagement course at Texas A&M-College Station. Created and funded five internships for summer 2022 with a sixth one coming before the end of the spring 2022 semester. Three of these internship collaborations were initiated and started as a part of the Science Influencers program. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?To date, we do not have research or program results to share because the first cohort is still actively participating in the program. However, we have provided program awareness through the program website, and we developed a strong program recruitment strategy, which we executed across the 11 universities within TAMUS. Our recruitment strategy included direct emails to 51 TAMUS faculty and 83 TAMUS academic advisors. We sent direct emails to students via the Texas A&M Bulk Mail service, attended the Texas A&M-College Station Undergraduate Research Expo, and distributed the flyer through digital and conventional bulletin boards on the Texas A&M-College Station campus. Last, we developed a Facebook (12 Likes), Instagram (28 Followers, 50 Following), and Twitter (28 Followers, 50 Following) page for the program. Currently, our following is low because we are in the very early stages of implementation. Moving forward, program information will be disseminated through these platforms and the program's website, and we will focus on growing the following of these media platforms. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?By the end of the next reporting period, we will have graduated the first cohort of the Science Influencers and have our second cohort actively participating in the program. We have revised our recruitment plans based on successes and failures and will focus more on personal experience by asking the students in the current cohort to present about their experience to peer groups. We are also working on paperwork to make the Science Communication and Public Engagement course a permanent course at Texas A&M-College Station. The Science Influencers at Texas A&M-Galveston have asked us to help them identify ways to bring a similar course to their campus. In addition to recruiting and retaining Science Influencers, we will focus our efforts on building a following on our Science Influencers media platforms, publishing popular press and academic literature related to the Science Influencers program, working with Science Influencers to publish work for their summer internship collaborations, and publishing social media content that the Science Influencers created as part of the course and their internships. We will also continue to build out the website as mentors and participants join the program. A specific focus of our efforts in the next reporting period will be on developing a robust semi-private resource and collaboration portal for Science Influencers and their mentors.
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
During year one of the project, we developed the year-long program to increase undergraduates' applied knowledge and competencies to communicate about STEM- and FANH-related issues and formed the REE advisory board to serve as mentors, role models, and advocates for undergraduates. Both are objectives of the project. We hosted the first advisory board meeting in August 2021, and the board provided feedback on the program activities and on the Science Influencers course. Information about the advisory board is on the Science Influencer's website. As part of the development of the program, we established the recruitment, application, and admissions process, including a recruiting campaign with marketing materials for multiple communications platforms (e.g., website, social media, email, flyers), program application, interview protocol with questions, internship application, mentor communication materials, program activities descriptions, and program retreat itinerary. The social media sites are in the early stages of implementation and will be fully implemented soon. In addition, we developed the Science Influencers course (i.e., course syllabus, course assignment, course lectures), which is the rigorous science communications course that all the students in the program will take at the beginning of their experience. The course is also open to students across campus. We had a total of nine students (six enrolled in the Science Influencers program) enroll in the course. Six of the nine, including the six program participants, will complete the course. Also, we are in final preparations for the first cohort's spring retreat. Students will participate in a variety of skill-building activities, learn from a noted Science Influencer who has published across popular press and academic sources, and engage in cohort activities to build relationships and networks. We started recruiting for the program in August 2021 with applications due in October and participants selected and notified prior to Thanksgiving Break. Although 45 entries were recorded through the Science Influencers application portal, only 35 contained valid data (e.g., applicant's name). Of those 35, incomplete and/or duplicate entries reduced the total to 14 useable applications. Overall, we achieved very diverse set of applicants for the Science Influencers first cohort. Table 1 shows demographics for valid applications in the first cohort. Table 1. Demographics for Science Influencers Program Applications, Fall 2021 (n = 14) Variable f % Female 8 57.14 Male 6 42.86 White 5 35.71 Black 4 28.57 Asian 2 14.29 Multi 2 14.29 Hispanic 1 7.14 Prairie View A&M 4 28.57 Texas A&M 4 28.57 Texas A&M - Galveston 2 14.29 Texas A&M - San Antonio 2 14.29 Texas A&M - Corpus Christi 1 7.14 West Texas A&M 1 7.14 Senior 6 42.86 Sophomore 4 28.57 Junior 3 21.43 Freshman 1 7.14 Our first cohort of Science Influencers started in the program January 1, 2022. We have six Science Influencers with three from Texas A&M-College Station (majoring in biology; society, ethics, and law; and forensic and investigative sciences), two from Texas A&M-Galveston (both majoring in marine biology), and one from Texas A&M-Corpus Christi (majoring in biology). One of our Science Influencers was elected Student Body President of Texas A&M-Galveston for academic year 2022-2023. Information about the Science Influencers is on the program's Facebook page. Five of the six Science Influencers have secured an internship for the summer, and the sixth student is in the final stage of securing the internship.
Publications
- Type:
Websites
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2021
Citation:
Wingenbach, G., Leggette, H., Gastel, B., & Kainer, M. (2021). Science influencers [website]. https://scienceinfluencers.org/
- Type:
Other
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2022
Citation:
Kainer, M., Wingenbach, G., Leggette, H., & Gastel, B. (2022). Science influencers [Facebook]. https://www.facebook.com/Science-Influencers-105208495344946
- Type:
Other
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2022
Citation:
Kainer, M., Wingenbach, G., Leggette, H., & Gastel, B. (2022). Scienceinfluencers [Instagram]. https://www.instagram.com/scienceinfluencers/
- Type:
Other
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2022
Citation:
Kainer, M., Wingenbach, G., Leggette, H., & Gastel, B. (2022). Science influencers [Twitter]. https://twitter.com/sci_influencers
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