Three GEEMaP trainees tailor graduate-level science to a high school audience

September 1, 2015 - 12:00am

During the Spring 2015 semester, the interdisciplinary seminar taken by all GEEMaP trainees focused on science communication. Students learned the theories and techniques behind discussing their research with audiences from diverse backgrounds through group discussions and from presentations by experienced faculty members. The next effort involved trainees tailoring their established research talks for a public audience and presenting them to the group for feedback or directly to an outside audience.

Three GEEMaP trainees, Jesslyn Landgren, Sean Young, and Emily White, took the opportunity to improve their science communication skills by presenting the foundations of their research to two sections of students in the Advanced Placement (AP) Human Geography course at Washington High School in nearby Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Brad Metzger, staff at Washington High and the teacher of the two classes, reported that “it was a great opportunity for our high school students to learn about the opportunities in the field of Geography beyond high school. Furthermore, to think of a possible career using the principles learned in AP Human Geography."

Jesslyn, Sean, and Emily are all students within the Department of Geographical and Sustainability Sciences, conducting research within various areas of geography and spatial sciences. In addition to introducing some of the study areas available within Geography, the trainees also answered questions from the high school students about undergraduate and graduate education and experiences.