Science Communication and Community: Entry Points to the Physical Sciences

Students from underrepresented groups face numerous barriers of entry in STEMM, especially in the hard sciences. Fostering a community of young people who are interested in science, but do not necessarily see themselves as possible scientists, can help them feel welcome in these fields and help build their confidence. Outreach events aligning science communication with scientific disciplines can be a point of entry for such students, who often find events with a communication aspect to be less intimidating than those focused exclusively on science activities. Incorporating communication aspects in science outreach serves several purposes: It encourages the participation of non-traditional STEMM students by building a community of young people passionate about science and communicating it to the public; it helps educate these students to become better scientists, teaching them communication skills as well as challenging STEMM topics; and it shows them the importance of focusing on both aspects. Experiences will be reported from Girls Talk Math, a free day camp for female and gender non-conforming high-schoolers focused on Mathematics, Physics, and media.