For my outreach project I went to Clarke County High School and worked with students in one of the biology classes to look at various bacteria samples and calculate the number of colonies that grew. To prepare for this, I did the experiment beforehand. We first took samples of soil and divided them up into smaller samples and diluted those to varying degrees. These diluted samples were then plated on tet plates and left to allow bacteria to grow. A week later, the colonies in each sample were counted and the total colony formulating units (CFUs) and the percent that were resistant to tetracycline were calculated. The samples were later taken to Clarke County High School where I worked with students to count the colonies and do the same calculations. The research completed may be similar to any future research I participate in in terms of the methods followed. While the content of the research itself may be different, it is import to follow scientific steps and also be aware of errors such as cross contamination or human miscalculation.
Once at the high school, I explained to the students the lab work that had previously been completed with their soil samples. It’s important for the students to understand the background of what they’re doing and where the samples came from so they realize that some of these samples were from their own soil sites. I walked the students step by step through calculating the CFUs and had them work in pairs so everyone was engaged. Lastly, I had the students report their data to the PARE website so that it could be used for other purposes. The information and knowledge I gained about soil sampling and testing came from in-class lectures and case studies as well as hands on experience in the lab and classroom. Presenting the lab and information to the students definitely helped me learn about the topic better because I had to have a more complete understanding in order to answer the students’ questions.
In order to be intellectually stimulating, the project had various aspects that allowed students to participate in. They gathered soil samples and then, after the lab work, were encouraged to think about where that soil came from and what the results meant in terms of that location. To be relevant to the students, we were working with soil that they had collected. When the students actively participate in this way it gives them a reason to be more invested and motivated to help with the process. It was somewhat difficult to be creative when we were following a set list of instructions, but I worked to incorporate various relevant questions and different teams to introduce creativity. In this process I learned that it can be difficult to manage multiple teams at once, but that I am able to do this efficiently. I also was reminded of the various interests of high schoolers and how those interests can carry over into unique questions related to the project.
I analyzed my audience before even arriving to the school and assumed that I would need to work to engage them in the project as some of them may not show great interest. However, I learned that the students were all curious because they had a personal “stake” in the process since we were using their own soil sample. In the future I think it will remain important to have predetermined strategies for engagement but that it’s okay to be flexible and be prepared to disregard those if the audience is actively engaged or engaging in a way you didn’t think about. Next time I do an outreach project like this I plan to not hand out the samples until after giving an introductory speech/explaining what we will be doing, as the samples can be distracting.
By participating in this outreach project I was able to better understand the course content because I had to know the background and the information on a level where I was comfortable answering questions that are not just the straightforward ones. Preparing for this project by analyzing the audience and using that to adjust my approach and ensuring the content was presented at a level that was comprehendible allowed me to better understand presenting and working with groups of different ages. With this experience I learned that coursework in college is still relevant coursework in high school because of the underlying topic that it relates to. Both the high school students and our class are learning about water quality, the only difference is the scope at which we are learning it. Understanding this will allow me to work further with people of various age groups on topics and issues that I am covering in classes even if I hadn’t thought that it would be relevant. I believe that what I came to deliver and help the students understand came across fairly clear, though in the future I could work on explaining the affects of the results and the projects and what they mean to the students. The outreach project overall was effective in helping me gain a deeper understanding of water quality and what affects it and using presentation and leadership skills to share this information with others. Now I know that what I am learning here is relevant everywhere and to everyone and hopefully it can be shared widely in order to work to change the quality of our water systems.