Stanford joins national effort to highlight public benefits of scientific research

Former RISE High School Intern Alison Logia, who is now a Stanford undergraduate, with chemical engineering graduate student Travis Walker and Gerald Fuller, professor of chemical engineering. Designed for promising local low-income students, RISE, which stands for Raising Interest in Science and Engineering, is sponsored by Stanford’s Office of Science Outreach. (Photo credit: Kaye Storm)

Highlighting for the public the benefits of research and science is an important goal for universities like Stanford.

That’s why Stanford was a key member of a two-year effort to launch a national network to help scientists and engineers do just that.

Toward this end, the National Science Foundation has awarded a consortium of six universities – including Stanford and led by the University of Missouri – a $500,000 grant to launch the Broader Impacts and Outreach Network for Institutional Collaboration.

The goal is to create a national network of professionals who help scientists working in U.S. research institutions better explain the relevance – or “broader impacts” – of their research to people and society. On Nov. 14, the National Science Foundation issued a report describing the diverse benefits of science for everyday life.

KAYE STORM, director of Stanford’s Office of Science Outreach, said the network will share best practices and support research collaborations through networking, training, collective evaluations and other activities.

She said, “Science isn’t complete without explaining to the public the significance of what we do. It’s our responsibility to engage with the public in meaningful ways and to ensure that we have full and diverse participation in our research labs.”

But this often requires a different network and set of skills than many researchers possess, Storm said.

Storm noted that Stanford faculty and staff will benefit directly from the new network of experts and resources. Through the Office of Science Outreach, Stanford provides its faculty with support to create effective plans for broadening the impacts of their federal grants.

Specifically, the outreach office helps scientists develop education programs in the STEM fields –science, technology, engineering and mathematics – for grades K-12 and the broader community. Having a community of professionals engaged in similar pursuits will strengthen the capacity of many Stanford researchers to achieve a broader impact on society.

In addition to helping craft plans for Broader Impacts, Storm’s unit provides logistical support for science and engineering faculty who wish to provide internships for high school students, undergraduates and local science teachers, or whose students wish to share their excitement about science and engineering with the community.