Student Outreach

OEB graduate students are committed to science outreach and to making science more accessible to non-scientist's. These activities remind us why we chose science as a career, and also enrich our community. We are currently active in the following outreach areas:

OEB Blog

To see unofficial musings from OEB grad students on science and research, check out: It's not gross, it's SCIENCE

Science Café

Q: What's a Science Café?
A: The Science Café series, produced by OEB grad students, is designed to facilitate an engaging science discussion outside university walls in an informative but relaxed atmosphere. Each event is focused on a single topic, with a guest speaker, quiz bowl, and questions and answer. All events are free and open (targeted to!) the public.

Funding for the series comes from the Graduate Program in Organismic and Evolutionary Biology, the Natural History Collections and the Society for the Study of Evolution.

February Science Café: Antibiotics

Antibiotics: Resistance is Futile
Monday, Feb. 27th, 5:30pm

Esselon Café, 99 Russell Street (Route 9), Hadley

Antibiotics. ‘Tis the season for…sniffles. Join us at the next Science Café for a conversation on the war we wage on germs. We’ll have a fun hour of discussion, games, music, and a talk by UMass Professor and founder of the MA Academy of Sciences, Dr. Peg Riley. Dr. Riley will discuss her own work on our need for new drugs to combat germs, and how we find them. The event begins at 5:30pm, with light snacks provided and drinks available for purchase.

December Science Café

The Big Chill: Surviving Winter

Monday, Dec. 12th, 5:30pm

 Esselon Café
, 99 Russell Street (Route 9), Hadley

Brrr – winter is upon us! Come out to the Science Café to learn how organisms get through this cold weather. You can look forward to a fun hour of discussion, games, music, and a talk by local author and naturalist Charley Eiseman on insect strategies for winter survival.

The event begins at 5:30pm, with light snacks provided and drinks available for purchase. All Science Café events are free and designed for a public audience.

October Science Café

Out of the Dark: Demystifying Bats
Monday, Oct. 3rd, 5:30pm
Esselon Café, 99 Russell Street (Route 9), Hadley

BATS To many, they conjure images of dusty attics, belfries, rabies, blood-sucking tendencies, and of course, Halloween. We cry foul! Er, mostly. Join us for a night of dispelling some common batty misconceptions in a spooky format with a dose of engaging scientific exchange. Dr. Betsy Dumont will join the conversation and discuss some of her own research on the world’s coolest flying mammals. We hope you’ll join us too!

Classroom Education

OEB grad students are eager to be involved in classroom education. Students and educators can find resources and connect here. Click on a picture below to learn about the research done by OEB graduate students.