Executive Summary

The overall goals of this outreach project at the University of Washington (UW) are to develop new ways to communicate more effectively with the public about space biomedical science and technology, and to attract bright young minds to careers in this field.

Objectives

1. Develop and disseminate articles on space biomedical research via Northwest Science & Technology (NWS&T) Magazine, a regional science publication with a circulation of more than 30,000 in the Pacific Northwest region and beyond, and furthermore, to involve student writers in our science writing curriculum and in development of these articles;

2. Develop/adapt and disseminate special materials on space biomedical research for middle school students and their parents and teachers by means of an insert in NWS&T;

3. Improve the ability of scientists and public information officers to communicate with general audiences by developing and delivering a science writing workshop for NSBRI consortium members; and

4. Attract students in the pipeline to careers in space biomedical research by means of a summer experience for high school students in the laboratories of NSBRI projects at the UW.

1. Magazine Articles on Space Biomedical Research
   • Developed the following articles for Northwest Science & Technology Magazine on space biomedical topics:

     "UW Joins Effort to Advance Space Biomedical Technology," Holli Riebeek, NWS&T, Autumn 2001, pp. 6-8.

     "Flying Higher and Faster: An Interview with Astronaut Susan Helms," Cover story by Holli Riebeek and Deborah Illman, NWS&T, Winter 2002, pp. 14-20.

     "Great Expectations: Virtual Reality," Holli Riebeek, NWS&T, Spring 2002, pp. 22-28.

     "Biomedical Studies Should Take Priority on International Space Station: Research on human adaptation to space is likely to benefit terrestrial medicine," Editorial by Martin J. Kushmerick, NWS&T, Spring 2002, p. 58.

     SciScape insert for middle school students, Spring 2002, by Holli Riebeek.

   • Provided support and experiential learning opportunities for a master's-level science writing student, Holli Riebeek, to develop these articles. Ms. Riebeek graduated in June 2002 and is currently serving as technology journalism intern in New York at IEEE Spectrum, the flagship publication of the Institute for Electrical and Electronics Engineers.

   • Added 4,500 names of middle school science teachers and administrators from WA, OR, ID, MT, and AK to our magazine distribution list to receive these articles and insert.

   • Published and disseminated an announcement by Baylor College of Medicine on the NSBRI-funded teaching series "From Outerspace to Innerspace" in the Autumn 2001 issue.

   • Published and disseminated full-page color displays about NSBRI in Winter, Spring, and Autumn 2002 issues.

   • Technical Communication undergraduate student Sara Causey helped to develop a second issue of SciScape on space/biomedical content.

   • Provided support for Technical Communication student Marita Graube to develop an article on space exercise.

2. Middle School Insert
   • Developed the concept and design for NWS&T SciScape, our insert for middle school students, with input from educators and writers with special expertise for this age group.

   • The first of two NSBRI-sponsored inserts was published and copies supplied to the outreach team leader.

   • Developed an evaluation tool to obtain feedback from users of SciScape.

3. Improving Communication with General Audiences
   • With funding from the UW College of Engineering for UW School of Communications Ph.D. student Fiona Clark, we completed a content analysis of recent New York Times coverage of space-related events and issues. Our objective was to characterize current journalistic practices with regard to space exploration and space biomedical research, and to provide a benchmark against which future developments in coverage can be assessed.

4. Summer Experience for High School Students
   • Implemented a recruitment plan in conjunction with Washington Space Grant to identify high school students to work in the laboratories of UW-NSBRI investigators. The plan culminated in the placement of four students in NSBRI-related laboratories at the University of Washington.

   • Developed a participation plan for UW-NSBRI investigators to take part in the selection process and tours for 40 high school seniors who are applying for Washington Space Grant scholarships, thereby highlighting topics in space biomedical research for a wider pool of students in the pipeline.

Project Description