SMC, Lindsay Wildlife Civic Engagement Efforts Presented in Washington, D.C.

Saint Mary's Chemistry Professor Steve Bachofer and Melissa Strongman, director of education, at the Lindsay Wildlife Experience (formerly the Lindsay Wildlife Museum), participated in the SENCER 2015 Symposium Poster Session in Washington, D.C. last week. During the session, the duo reported on two successful civic engagement collaborations between Saint Mary’s and Lindsay.

One of the institutional collaborations was LWE Encounters, a student and faculty team–developed iPhone app that educates the public on how to interact safely with wildlife in the Bay Area. The other was a Geographic Information System course in which SMC students created maps of the McNabney Marsh, an Easy Bay wetland habitat, to help educate local school children and the general public.

The Saint Mary’s and Lindsay Wildlife collaborations were the result of an innovative three-year $50,000 grant funded through SENCER-ISE (Science Education for New Civic Engagement and Responsibilities)-(Informal Science Education). SENCER-ISE Is an NSF-funded STEM education reform and innovation program. The highly competitive grants (only 10 were allocated across the country) promote partnerships between colleges and universities with local informal science education organizations such as the Lindsay Wildlife Experience.

Bachofer said the focus of the poster session was to highlight success stories of the science education initiative. "By demonstrating our student-driven projects, it shows how the collaborations of higher education institutions and informal science educational institutions can be replicated," he added. "The civic engagement aspects of projects teach science students to be more responsible citizens, connecting them with issues in their communities and they also connect people in the community with science, which is very important in promoting STEM education."

Among those in attendance at the best practices poster presentation, was Sarah L. Jackson, a senior legislative assistant from the office of Congressman Mark DeSaulnier (D-11th). Jackson stopped by to recognize the civic engagement efforts by the College and Lindsay. DeSaulnier represents the congressional district where Saint Mary’s is located.