Experience and Communicate the Science Around You

Lincoln University in collaboration with the National Technical Association [NTA] and Behind The STEAHM [BTS] will host a hybrid HBCU Geosciences Workshop from September 24nd - 26th, 2021 with the theme “Experience and Communicate the Science Around You”. Each of the three partners brings unique aspects to the conference: Lincoln University is the nation’s first degree-granting Historically Black College and University (HBCU); NTA encourages under-represented minority students in middle school, high school, and college, to pursue careers in science, technology, engineering and math; and BTS seeks to bridge the gap between experts and the community, while advocating for Social and Environmental Justice.

The objective of this conference is to bring together a diverse, inclusive and transdisciplinary group of participants to engage in an interactive dialogue about the current misconceptions and mistrust of science and policy with regards to the geosciences [i.e., environmental, earth, climate change, potamology, limnology, mineral resource mapping and oceanography]; its implications for underserved and underrepresented populations and their communities; and those populations’ paltry participation in the geosciences. This conference will include participatory interactive workshops with panel discussions, networking, community engagement opportunities, and opportunities for constructive dialogue, pedagogical recommendations, and tangible solutions.

Workshops will include themes on misconceptions in science and policy conduct, implementation, application and opportunities in collaboration and engagement. The hybrid conference will be synchronous in nature with in-person meetings as well virtually for networking, youth empowerment and science communication presentations.

Working in partnership with the 93rd NTA Annual Conference: ‘NTA Broadening Participation in STEM: Valuing HBCUs’, the proposed conference (Experience and Communicate the Science Around You) will model a, replicable, scalable, culturally relevant, participatory and place-based platform that seeks to demystify, science and policy, myths and misconceptions as potential barriers to broadening participation in STEM (NSF Strategic Plan for Fiscal Years (FY) 2018 - 2022, 2018). The PIs expect the conference to be centered around the following objectives: 1) implement and evaluate culturally relevant STEAHM thematic activities and topics for community-based inter-generational and interdisciplinary conversations about science and policy myths and misconceptions and 2) explore the implications of science and policy participation at the intersection of Pan-African Pedagogy, the Geosciences, and the Empowerment of Underserved Communities to build resiliency in the face of dynamic environmental factors and associated decision making.

This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.