It’s Just Rocket Science

Academic Libraries as Faculty Outreach Partners

Melanie J. Sellar

Education Services and Reference Librarian

Marymount College, California

Jeanine M. Scaramozzino

College of Science and Mathematics Librarian

California Polytechnic State University

Overview

• Prioritizing STEM education

• Why we should care as librarians

• What we can contribute as librarians

• SPIRIT program case study

Prioritizing STEM Education

Documenting a STEM Shortfall

• National Academies 2005 Report

• Business Higher Ed Forum 2005 and 2007 Reports

• National Science Board 2007 Report

• International assessments of student achievement in science

Governmental Imperatives

• NSF Broader Impacts [BI] Merit Criterion (1996-)

• NSF Math Science Partnerships [MSP] Grants (2001-)

• America COMPETES Act 2007

Why do we care?

Aligns with professional priorities and competencies:

• Contribute to institution‟s learning mission

• Support institution‟s research mission

• Assist in securing federal grant money

• Expand our burgeoning role as educators

• Leverage our expertise as collaborators

What can we do?

Partner with faculty to help meet these imperatives…

• Design and execute outreach programs

• Assist in identifying and arranging audiences

• Help translate research for audience

• Provided academic and logistical support

• Cultivate appreciation of research

Outreach to Who?

The K-12 students/teachers audience provides the opportunity to…

• Excite children about science and college

• Connect/improve the K-12 to college pipeline

• Help fulfill K-12 science education standards

• Provide teacher professional development

• Begin teaching science information literacy

• Lay a foundation for science-educated voters

Case Study: SPIRIT

What?

• School Partnerships in Research & Information Technology

• Community outreach program at UC Irvine

Who?

• K-14 students and teachers

• 5,000 students over last 5 years

Why?

• Facilitate transfer of students into UC system

How?

• DACE: Day at College Experience

• TILI: Teachers Information Literacy Institutes

SPIRIT: ‘NanoWorld’ Program

NSF Broader Impacts Pilot Program: „The NanoWorld‟

• Partnership with Associate Prof. Siwy of Physics & Astronomy

• Nanotechnology for biomedical and engineering applications

• Broader impact component for NSF Early Career proposal

• Day at College Experience (DACE) Program

• Morning library instruction session (e.g., http://tiny.cc/9Yxcz)

• Afternoon nanotechnology laboratory visit and hands-on activities

• Received $45K through NSF grant over 5 yrs…

A Day in the SPIRIT Program

SPIRIT: Successes

NSF Applications:

• 3 of 6 NSF funding proposals in 2008-09 (beats rate of ~20%)

• SPIRIT to receive up to N $$ to support N students

Student Experience:

• “It‟s amazing learning about what college students are learning

here. I found out many things doing this research that opened my

eyes about nanotechnology.”

• “I learned a lot about nanotechnology because I did not know we had

micro things that help us with our everyday life.”

• “The things I read about today I have never read about before.”

• “Everything today was new. So I had a great experience and learned

about something new in our micro world.”

Advice/Best Practices

• Identify and target grant recipients/potential applicants

• Pick faculty you want to work with

• Start small to get department/faculty buy-in

• Time your pitch (with grant cycles)

• Utilize existing campus infrastructure

• Use existing nat‟l and int‟l science program materials

• Scale scope of collaboration to suit your library

Thanks for attending! Questions?

Melanie Sellar - msellar@marymountpv.edu

Jeanine Scaramozzino – jscaramo@calpoly.edu