Barry University’s Community Science Academy (CSA) partners groups of faculty and students from biology, chemistry, computer science, math, physics, psychology, and sociology with an afterschool program at a community center in an under resourced neighborhood close to campus. Science faculty are trained in the community-based approach to engaging with the public. Training includes the importance of local knowledge and experience, dialogue and relationship, place-based context, community assets, and creating transformative spaces. Faculty in turn recruit and train their group of students who may come from a course they are teaching, an academic club they mentor, or another group that wishes to engage in a community project. Each faculty-student group works with young people from the center for 2-3 weeks presenting examples of the scientific knowledge useful for solving specific possible local problems (e.g. soil testing, biodegradeable plastics, air pollution). Each group brings at least one hands-on science experiment. After completing community mapping of their neighborhood, afterschool students choose an area of improvement to focus on, with help of Barry’s faculty and students. This novel approach to science communication and outreach develops all-important soft skills for our STEM majors, and builds their confidence as they see authentic applications for the knowledge they learn in classrooms and labs. The CSA is an inclusive way to show students from historically-marginalized backgrounds that science is interesting, hands-on, fun, and useful for solving real-world problems. The approach will empower youth to become science ambassadors to their community as they learn and communicate about an issue important to them and, in turn, empower the community to make science-informed decisions and bring about positive change.

Community science academy: Transforming students, transforming neighborhoods

Where thousands of chemistry professionals meet to share ideas and advance scientific and technical knowledge. Spring 2023 abstracts, posters, and presentations will launch at the end of March.

ACS Spring 2023

The official archive and repository for all ACS Meetings & Expositions abstracts and select posters or presentations.