Community Outreach and Education Program

麻省理工学院CEHS的社区外展和教育项目在K-12教育外展活动中取得了很大的成功。为了回应评论者的批评，我们计划在这一成功的基础上，将外联活动转变为包括更广泛的受众。我们专注于K-12的理念一直是一种长期的利益，因为我们认为，从长远来看，与未来的领导人在成长过程中合作是最好的做法，因为我们认为教育公众环境与健康之间的联系的任务是最好的。在题为《爱国主义的科学》的演讲中，美国国家科学基金会主任丽塔·科尔韦尔博士 两人都强调“有科学素养的公民的首要重要性”，以及“科学界和工程界实现这一目标的责任”。科尔韦尔博士继续举了一个最近的例子，说明错误信息如何滋生混乱和歇斯底里：在炭疽恐慌期间，许多政府官员和普通公民认为这种疾病是会传染的，这种误解加剧了公众的担忧和压力。然而，也许比这个明显的说明更令人信服的是日常的大小决定 市民所面对的。公众越来越多地必须解释科学信息，以便为他们自己和他们的社区做出良好的决定。在人类和环境健康领域，这一点最为重要。承担起科尔韦尔博士呼吁的责任，麻省理工学院社区拓展和教育计划(COEP)的主要目标是通过一系列针对四年级到本科生的学生和他们的老师以及马萨诸塞州东部更广泛的社区的计划，促进社区层面的科学素养，通过一系列涉及当地博物馆和教育中心的计划。为了实现这一目标，麻省理工学院COEP致力于以下目标：1.开发补充材料和活动，通过反映环境健康科学的最新进展来补充现有课程。2.为波士顿地区的教师提供支持和学习充实。3.就外联的机制和重要性对青年科学家进行指导和培训。4.开展以家庭为导向的教育活动，通过在当地博物馆举办的活动向公众展示。

The Community Outreach and Education Program of the MIT CEHS has a strong record of success in K-12 educational outreach activities. In response to reviewer criticism, we plan to build on this foundation of success and transition the outreach activities to include a broader audience. Our philosophy for focusing on K-12 has always been one of long-term benefit, in that, we believe that the task of educating the public about the connections between the environment and health is best served in the long-run by working with the future leaders in their formative years. In a speech entitled, "Science as Patriotism," NSF Director Dr. Rita Colwell stressed both, "the primary importance of a scientifically literate citizenry," as well as, "the responsibility of the science and engineering community to meet that goal." Dr. Colwell went on to give this recent example of how misinformation can breed chaos and hysteria: During the anthrax scare many public officials and private citizens believed that the disease was contagious, a misconception that exacerbated public concern and stress. However, perhaps more compelling than this conspicuous illustration are the large and small daily decisions faced by citizens. Increasingly the public must interpret scientific information in order to make good decisions for themselves and for their community. Nowhere is this more important than in the arenas of human and Environmental Health. Rising to responsibility called out by Dr. Colwell, the primary goal of the MIT Community Outreach and Education Program (COEP) is to promote community-level scientific literacy with a variety of programs targeted to students and their teachers in grades four through undergraduate and to the broader community of Eastern Massachusetts through an emerging set of programs involving local museums and educational centers. To achieve this goal the MIT COEP is committed to the following objectives: 1. The development of supplemental materials and activities that augment existing curriculum by reflecting recent advances in environmental health sciences. 2. The provision of support and learning enrichment for Boston-area teachers. 3. The mentorship and training of young scientists on the mechanisms and importance of outreach. 4. The development of family-oriented educational activities presented to the general public through events at local museums.