Outreach Requirement and Project Proposal

****Serving on the Outreach Committee does not fulfill the outreach requirement – please read this page to learn how to fulfill your requirement****

A key component of SLAC training is experience in communicating science to non-scientific audiences through outreach. SLAC trainees can fulfill the Outreach requirement of their program in two ways:  

1.Through established coursework (minimum one credit):

    • Ask a Brain Scientist (PSYC 5170-008): 1 credit
    • Science Communication I: Speaking for Public Audiences (EEB 5480): 3 credits
    • Science Communication II: Writing for Public Audiences (EEB 5482): 3 credits
    • SLAC Practicum (with approval from instructor, not all projects for the practicum will fulfill the requirement): 3 credits (overlapping)

2.Outside of coursework (must fill out Project Proposal, below, for approval):

    • Propose a novel outreach project (not as part of a course) either independently or in a group.
    • Jump on an existing outreach project as created by the outreach (or other) committee

    If selecting option 2:

    Individuals or groups can propose an outreach project. Projects require a faculty advisor and a clear plan for sustained engagement with a non-UConn population for the purpose of outreach. Outreach activities can be educational, informational or promote appreciation of diversity. Students will typically enroll in one credit of independent study with the faculty advisor to document their experience.

    Proposals must address four questions: What is the purpose of the outreach activity? Who are you trying to communicate to? What are you trying to communicate? Why is this an important communication and use of everyone’s time? In addition, proposals should provide the means of contacting the community and indicate how the engagement is to be sustained.

    Timeline:

    Often, the outreach requirement can be fulfilled in a semester-long activity. But intense, shorter or longer, less-involved projects may also qualify. Please include the anticipated timeline as part of your proposal request so the curriculum committee can advise. This includes projects that are already ongoing or completely novel projects.

    Evaluation:

    Project proposals can be submitted to the Curriculum Committee for evaluation on a rolling basis. The Curriculum Committee’s role is to check for feasibility, ensure the project is an appropriate scope (neither under-ambitious nor over-ambitious), and connect the project leaders with a faculty mentor who will provide guidance on the project.

    Examples:

    • Develop a problem-based module on sleep and memory to deliver to a middle science classroom.
    • Develop a visual exploration of the brain for school age children to promote engagement in brain science.
    • Presentation to senior group to motivate hearing aid adoption with an infographic and informational handout with references to services.
    • Neurodiversity and stigma—presentation to parents or school admins/teachers about how brains differ to move thinking away from a deficit model.
    • Design a website aggregating information about activities that have cognitive benefits for kids at different ages. Develop social media campaign to disseminate the information to interested communities.
    • Design in-service training for daycare/school teachers on an aspect of development.
    • Develop a TikTok to promote the learning sciences to middle and high school children.

      SLAC Outreach Project Proposal

      As part of this description, be sure to address the following questions: What is the purpose of the outreach activity? Who are you trying to communicate to? What are you trying to communicate? Why is this an important communication and use of everyone’s time? (Suggested length: 500 words)
      This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.