Research & Environmental Education Partnerships: A Speed Networking Forum
This project seeded new partnerships at the individual scale between 1) UW-Madison researchers in the ecological, environmental, geographical, and earth sciences and 2) the Nature Net’s network of environmental educators. These potential collaborators were invited to a forum resulting in the opportunity to engage with new audiences and increase the broader impacts of their research and education. This, in turn, would strengthen the competitiveness of NSF grants submitted and help educators tap into the world-class networks of scientific expertise, outreach resources, and students available at UW-Madison.
Outcomes
Nineteen environmental educators representing 14 different organizations and 14 University researchers from 13 different departments gathered on November 4, 2019 at the UW-Madison Arboretum to learn about their respective programs and activities. The institutions represented at the four hour forum reach annual audiences of 1.5 million. A three-month followup survey indicated that several grants proposals were submitted by collaborators as a direct result of attending the project forum. Most notable was a proposal to the National Science Foundation to develop a pathway to geoscience careers for underrepresented students and a Baldwin outreach grant that was funded to integrate coastal science and drones into GLOBEs ongoing projects.
Focus Areas
Project Leader
Gail Epping Overholt
Environmental Education Coordinator
- Department/Unit
- UW-Arboretum
- School or College
- Graduate School