Outreach — Sarah B. Winokur, Ph.D.

Outreach & Making STEM Accessible

7th graders at the Four Rivers Charter School in Greenfield, MA, learn about neuroanatomy by exploring sheep brains (Spring 2018)

7th graders at the Four Rivers Charter School in Greenfield, MA, learn about EEG caps as we discuss how neuroscientists study attention (Spring 2018)

7th graders at the Four Rivers Charter School in Greenfield, MA, discuss neuroethical issues and how the neuroscientific study of attention and reward can be applied to neuromarketing (Spring 2018)

Medical Life Sciences students at the Holyoke North Campus High School in Holyoke, MA, learn about neuroanatomy by exploring sheep brains (Spring 2019)

Medical Life Sciences students at the Holyoke North Campus High School in Holyoke, MA, learn about neuron communication and how drugs impact synaptic transmission by playing the Synapse Game (Spring 2019)

9th grade biology students at the South Hadley High School in South Hadley, MA, learn a “dance” to remember how neurons are shaped to communicate with each other (Spring 2019)

Middle schoolers at the Holyoke STEM Academy in Holyoke, MA, record an electromyogram of their muscle movement during an EEG cap demonstration (Spring 2019)

Middle schoolers at the Holyoke STEM Academy in Holyoke, MA, learn about neuron communication and how drugs impact synaptic transmission by playing the Synapse Game (Spring 2019)

NSB Outreach Members collaborated with the UMass Amherst Neuroscience Club and the NuRhoPsi Honors Society to run a table for Brain Awareness Week in the UMass Amherst Campus Center (Spring 2018)

STEM Outreach

Engaging with my community about science has always been a passion of mine, whether it’s through teaching college courses or conducting outreach. In graduate school, I ran the Neuroscience and Behavior Educational Outreach program for three years. We explored neuroscience with local adolescent communities and discussed what it means to become and be a scientist. Through NSB outreach events I have worked with over 1,000 middle and high school students.

I spent two years working as a mentor for the STEM Ambassadors Program at UMass Amherst, where I mentored a small group of freshmen women who were interested in pursuing STEM majors and careers.

Additionally, I participated as a STEM professional pen pal in the Letters to a Pre-Scientist program, where I exchanged letters throughout the school year with a mentee from an elementary school in a low income community in Ohio. Via these letters, I worked to humanize being a scientist, demystify STEM careers, and inspire my pen pal to continue being curious about science.

Example Neuroscience Outreach Activities I have created:

Making STEM Accessible

A recent study found that, at age 6, US students draw female scientists 70% of the time, but 10 years later, at the age of 16, these students draw male scientists 70% of the time. In general, when asked to envision a scientist, 79% of US students draw white male scientists.

In the NSF’s 2019 evaluation of The State of U.S. Science and Engineering, it was determined that Black and Hispanic students who have earned at least a bachelor’s degree are underrepresented among students earning science and engineering degrees and among STEM workers. Furthermore, there are large disparities in k-12 STEM education and student performance across demographic and socioeconomic groups, highlighting a critical need to improve the state of STEM education by increasing support for underrepresented and marginalized students.

How can you help? If you are a STEM professional, the simple act of bringing your science to schools and engaging students with fun and thought provoking science activities through outreach or mentoring organizations, or as an undergraduate or graduate student group, is a great way to inspire the kids in your community and encourage them to continue being interested in STEM. I would be happy to share outreach resources from my time working as the chair of NSB Outreach - please feel free to contact me!

Where can you donate? There are many fantastic organizations focused on making STEM accessible to marginalized and underserved populations. Consider volunteering with or donating to the MUSE Mentorship program or Girls Inc. - two incredible STEM outreach and mentorship programs!