With the aim of strengthening the broader community’s relationship with science, I use my academic platform to engage others within my department, throughout my local community, and globally. I believe that science communication is a science in itself, and I have trained in the most effective communication strategies including storytelling and interactive demos.
I serve on the UW School of Oceanography’s Outreach Committee. In this role, I manage the department’s twitter account @UWOcean and am the lead author of the UW Oceanography newsletter. Additionally, I represent the department at many local outreach events such as the college’s Future Student Visit Day and Seattle Aquarium’s Ocean Career Day.
I regularly visit local K12 schools as a guest speaker. My goal is for students to put a face to the idea of a scientist, make STEM feel more familiar and inclusive, and share stories about how science is a part of everyday life.
To reach beyond my local community, I participate in many online global efforts including SkypeAScientist, SkypeAScientist LIVE, and Letters to a PreScientist. In these efforts, I have interacted with students from around the world, from California to Utah to Egypt.
Robin McLachlan 