How The 'Skype A Scientist' Program Combats Fake News Through Public Education

of its launch, Skype a Scientist signed up nearly 2,000 classrooms and an equal number of scientists, covering all 50 states and extending to 17 countries. A simple Google form lets interested teachers request a particular kind of scientist, and interested scientists sign up to speak to any age group they feel comfortable with and as many times in a semester as they want. Matches are made every two weeks based on research specialty, available times, and language spoken.

I have participated in the Skype a Scientist program four times now, and have spoken to students in grades 4-12 in Atlanta, Nashville, Austin, and Oceanside, California, about what an archaeologist does and how I became a scientist. But I wanted to learn more about the program, so I interviewed McAnulty about its origins, the progress she's seen since then, and the ways in which she's expanding into new outreach territory.

he number of people who now have a real live scientist to conjure in their minds when they hear 'scientist' is staggering. We also try to match our scientists and classrooms based on whether the classroom has over 50% of any under-represented minority in science; we then match them with a scientist from that same group so that we can make the most of these connections.

Archaeologist Kristina Killgrove speaking with a classroom in Texas through the Skype a Scientist program.Scientists and other academics, though, have limited time, as you mention. And some feel that outreach - and especially social media - is a waste of the time that could be directed at publishing in an academic journal, for example.

We also run some programming for adults. This is my little passion project because I think it's pretty easy to get a group of school kids amped about science, but gettingnights at bars around Connecticut and bring science they can get their paws on. I'll invite people to come over and look at their own hands under a basic microscope.

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