Navigating the public engagement landscape - what are my options?

As scientists increasingly explore their options to communicate and engage publicly, it is helpful for scholars early in their practice to understand the variety of opportunities that are available. Parsing these options - from blogging and social media, to science cafes, to policy engagement, to community-engaged teaching and research - can be a helpful exercise in aligning interests and motivations with specific opportunities to create a public impact. In an effort to define this option space, we have created a working conceptual framework to understand and categorize public engagement efforts, especially those activities available at academic institutions. During this interactive working session, participants should expect to reflect on their own motivations and public engagement efforts, explore possible intersections and divergences of their work with others, and consider a systems-level view to recognize and appreciate the diversity inherent in different forms and approaches to public engagement with science. We will also discuss different types of training and preparation opportunities which will facilitate effective, meaningful engagement.