On July 15th, 2021, ESAL had a panel of STEM educational experts, including the executive director of the SciTech Institute, a leader of CodeSciLab, a global nonprofit director of STEM education, and a Philadelphia STEM educator that fight for STEM education access throughout the U.S. Each panelist brought forth a unique perspective on how local funding, policies, and environmental factors impact students’ educational experiences.
On May 20,2021, there was a discussion between professionals centered around the intersection of equity and local civic engagement. Perspectives and personal anecdotes were shed light on to discuss how they have tackled the issue of equity in communities.
On April 28, 2021, ESAL discussed with professionals in the field about plastic waste and science-informed efforts to mitigate the harmful effects of it.
On March 2, as the final installment of the Covid Conversations series, ESAL spoke with three active members of the science communication scene to learn more about civic engagement. The discussion includes methods for effectively communicating with one's own local government, communication styles among scientists, and vaccine distribution.
On February 19, ESAL collaborated with the Federation of American Scientists (FAS) and the National Science Policy Network (NSPN) to host the first of two webinars on “COVID Conversations.” The panelists discussed how scientists and engineers can talk about COVID-19 with their communities to dispel misconceptions and offer needed information about the pandemic.
On January 26th, ESAL hosted an event to discuss with city officials and lab manager the responsibility of explaining the science of COVID-19 and the local interactions that come with it. The discussion includes interactions between science and politics, ways to make connections with the community, and informed engagement in local government.
On December 2, ESAL co-hosted “Creating Safe Post-Pandemic School Systems”, a virtual panel with the Architectural Engineering Institute. Panelists discussed risk management, engineering solutions, and practical considerations for reopening schools.
“Our expertise is science; their expertise is what they need.” This statement by panelist Elina Kostyanovskaya referred to the importance of listening to vulnerable communities. It was one of several key takeaways from the webinar “STEM Students Responding to COVID in their Communities,” which was jointly hosted by ESAL and the National Science Policy Network […]
On September 30, ESAL and the Ecological Society of America co-hosted a webinar on “Scientists as Citizens: Getting Involved with Local Government.” ESAL volunteers made the case for how scientists can impact city, county, and state policy and presented time-tested strategies for effective engagement.
