It’s Just Rocket Science
Academic Libraries as Faculty Outreach Partners
Melanie J. Sellar
Education Services and Reference Librarian
Marymount College, California
Jeanine M. Scaramozzino
College of Science and Mathematics Librarian
California Polytechnic State University

Overview
• Prioritizing STEM education
• Why we should care as librarians
• What we can contribute as librarians
• SPIRIT program case study
• Advice for getting started

Prioritizing STEM Education
Documenting a STEM Shortfall
• National Academies 2005 Report
• Business Higher Education Forum 2005 and 2007 Reports
• National Science Board 2007 Report
• International assessments of student achievement in science
Governmental Imperatives
• NSF Broader Impacts [BI] Merit Criterion (1996-)
• NSF Math Science Partnerships [MSP] Grants (2001-)
• America COMPETES Act 2007

Why do we care?
Aligns with professional priorities and competencies:
• Contribute to institution’s learning mission
• Support institution’s research mission
• Assist in securing federal grant money
• Expand our burgeoning role as educators
• Leverage our expertise as collaborators

What can we do?
Partner with faculty to help meet these imperatives…
• Design and execute outreach programs
• Assist in identifying and arranging audiences
• Help translate research for audience
• Provided academic and logistical support
• Cultivate appreciation of research

Outreach to Whom?
The K-12 students/teachers audience provides the opportunity to…
• Excite children about science and college
• Connect/improve the K-12 to college pipeline
• Help fulfill K-12 science education standards
• Provide teacher professional development
• Begin teaching science information literacy
• Lay a foundation for science-educated voters

Case Study: SPIRIT
What?
• School Partnerships in Research & Information Technology
• Community outreach program at UC Irvine
Who?
• K-14 students and teachers
• 5,000 students over last 5 years
Why?
• Facilitate transfer of students into UC system
How?
• DACE: Day at College Experience
• TILI: Teachers Information Literacy Institutes

SPIRIT: ‘NanoWorld’
An NSF Broader Impacts Pilot Program…
• Partnership with Associate Prof. Siwy of Physics & Astronomy
• Nanotechnology for biomedical and engineering applications
• Broader impact component for NSF Early Career proposal
• Day at College Experience [DACE] Program
• Morning library instruction session (http://tiny.cc/9Yxcz)
• Afternoon nanotechnology laboratory visit and hands-on activities
• Raised ~$45K through NSF grant over 5 years

A Day in the SPIRIT Program

SPIRIT: Successes
NSF Applications
• 3 of 6 NSF funding proposals in 2008-9 (exceeds the 20% success rate)
• SPIRIT to receive ~$70K to support ~1500 students
Student Experience
• “It’s amazing learning about what college students learn here. I found out
many things doing this research that opened my eyes about nanotechnology.”
• “I learned a lot about nanotechnology because I did not know we had micro
things that help us with our everyday life.”
• “The things I read about today I have never read about before.”
• “Everything today was new. So I had a great experience and learned about
something new in our micro world.”

Advice/Best Practices
• Identify and target grant recipients/potential applicants
• Pick faculty you want to work with
• Start small to get department/faculty buy-in
• Time your pitch (with grant cycles)
• Utilize existing campus infrastructure
• Use existing nat’l and int’l science program materials
• Scale scope of collaboration to suit your library

Thanks for attending! Questions?
Melanie Sellar msellar@marymountpv.edu
Jeanine Scaramozzino jscaramo@calpoly.edu