Professional Society Resources and Partnerships for Public and K-12 Outreach and Engagement

Outreach and public engagement lower the barriers that inhibit broader public appreciation of and participation in physics, and are important for inspiring the next generation of scientists and science-literate citizens. The APS and many other professional societies have made significant and sustained investments in public engagement because of the importance of these activities - APS, for example, has an entire department dedicated to outreach. In addition, professional societies have responded to members who desire resources for enabling and enhancing their own outreach efforts. A key question is always, ``What works?'' Professional societies can help provide the answers. In this talk, I will explore the critical interface played by professional societies as a bridge to the public, as a resource to members, and as a broker of partnerships. I will also feature numerous examples of creative and compelling ways to engage the public, including physicscentral.org, LaserFest, NISE Net, Comic Con, SOCKs, citizen science, and many more. A more important question is, ``Is it fun?'' I will show that the answer is an unqualified, ``Yes!''