Investigator/Institutional Scientific Outreach Activities
Our boilerplates and sample text for selected application sections may be used as a starting point for your applications, and should be modified to meet sponsor's requirements and to align with your proposed research plan.
Institutional training (e.g. NIH T32, T35) and research education (e.g. NIH R25) programs include requirements for plans to ensure/enhance diversity, as well as community engagement. The following examples of outreach activities on campus could help you prepare these sections of your applications to these and other programs. Investigators should select those activities that are relevant to their efforts. In addition, it may be helpful to review our boilerplates on Broader Impacts and Ensuring Workforce Diversity for other strategies and descriptions of diversity and outreach activities associated with your research project team.
Undergraduate Student Programs
The Rockefeller University (RU) participates in two summer research programs for undergraduate students: the Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) Program and the Gateways to the Laboratory Program (Gateways). Both programs are designed to enhance the recruitment of diverse students to the Rockefeller University community. The SURF Program provides 15-20 outstanding college sophomores and juniors with a demonstrated interest in biological research the opportunity to spend ten weeks during the summer working in University laboratories. SURF students also participate in a Journal Club led by graduate students and attend weekly research talks by selected faculty. Over the years, up to 25% of SURF students have been from under-represented minority groups. Many SURF students subsequently apply to the University graduate program or the Tri-Institutional MD/PhD program in which RU participates. Several of the current minority graduate students were past participants of the SURF program.
The Gateways to the Laboratory Program is part of the joint Tri-Institutional MD-PhD Program of The Rockefeller University, Weill Cornell Medical College and the Sloan-Kettering Institute. Gateways is a ten week summer program that enables talented freshman and sophomore college students from minority and disadvantaged populations to gain the skills necessary for admission to and success in MD-PhD programs. In addition to conducting independent research projects, Gateways students participate in a journal club, laboratory technique workshop, clinical skills workshop, mock MCAT exam and Gross Anatomy lecture and tour. Over the years, some of the Gateways students in the MD-PhD program elect to do their PhD at Rockefeller. The Gateways Program is highlighted by the NIH as one of the top ten summer programs for underrepresented and disadvantaged students.
High School Student Outreach Programs
The Summer Science Research Program offers high school juniors and seniors and K-12 teachers the opportunity to be mentored by Rockefeller scientists in the content, methods and culture of modern research through immersion in the process of scientific inquiry. The program also enables postdoctoral and graduate fellows to develop essential teaching skills and provides staff support and resources to Rockefeller scientists who become mentors. Various resources the University offers include weekly seminars on critical thinking, science communications, and the Working With Data course, which trains participants in how to analyze and meaningfully interpret their data.
The Science Outreach Day events are hosted by the Science Outreach Program and provides a day of science to high need New York City high schools serving a predominantly underrepresented minority and disadvantaged student population. These outreach events are tailored to the specific science enrichment needs of the students. The program objectives are to serve as an information pipeline to inform students of research opportunities at RU, and to emphasize the importance of science and science literacy.
The Annual Holiday Lectures on Science for High School Students was established in 1959 by Alfred E. Mirsky, a biochemist and Rockefeller University librarian. Dr. Mirsky modeled these lectures on a popular series of science lectures for children pioneered in London in 1826 by Michael Faraday - known as the greatest experimenter in the history of science. Recent speakers have included Drs. David Allis, Sohail Tavazoie, Nina Papavasiliou, Sanford Simon and Paul Nurse.
The Science Outreach Program also hosts a science blog, The Incubator, which aims to connect RU scientists with the community at large. Blogging about science is an effective way to engage the public in scientific discussions, and because of the format of The Incubator, it also serves to educate. All RU students, postdocs, and faculty are invited to contribute.
Other RU Community Engagement Efforts
The Women & Science initiative was established in 1998 to highlight the crucial role of basic research in addressing scientific challenges related to women's health; showcase the contributions of women scientists; create a program of support for women scientists; and encourage more women to embrace scientific research as a focus of their philanthropy.
The Women in Science at Rockefeller (WISeR) was founded in 2013 as a new initiative to promote professional development, career guidance, and mentorship for female scientists at Rockefeller. WISeR is open to all graduate students, postdoctoral fellows, research assistants, and research associates.
The Parents & Science initiative launched in 2007 is a unique resource for New York area parents who are interested in learning more about how scientific research is transforming our understanding of childhood health and behavior. Each year, Parents & Science sponsors lectures that showcase important science related to child and adolescent health and development. These multidisciplinary programs bring together Rockefeller's distinguished scientists with eminent psychologists, social scientists, clinicians, and medical practitioners. Events include “The Challenges of Adolescence: Balancing Risk, Novelty and Self Control”, “Sun Exposure, Genetics and Melanoma: A Worldwide Health Challenge”, and “Science 101 For Parents - An Ounce of Prevention: Vaccines and Your Child's Immune System”.
Bridges to Better Medicine brings together world class scientists and business leaders in the life sciences - venture capitalists, biotechnology and pharmaceutical executives, healthcare investors and analysts to develop friendships and inspire philanthropy among individuals in life science-related businesses. Opportunities offered provide participants to hear about the latest scientific and medical innovations from inside the laboratory and from industry; interact with top scientists and industry leaders in a private setting; develop valuable relationships and exchange ideas with peers. Events include “Friend or Foe: Microbes in Human Body”, “Making Connections: Identifying Drug Targets for Alzheimer's and Other Neurological Diseases”, “A Scientific Symposium in Memory of Ralph Steinman” and “The Paradox of Immunity: New Approaches to Cancer, Infections and Autoimmune Disorders”.
The Science Communication and Media Group is a scientists-run organization that advocate for increased interaction between scientists and the public. They bring speakers to the university that are actively engaged in various areas of science communication, media, and outreach. The group aims to sustain the bridge between Rockefeller and the local community by organizing diverse outreach events, sharing the excitement of science and scientific discoveries with the public through talks, focus groups and informal meetings on campus and beyond.
The Insight Lecture Series brings leading speakers on sciences, arts and humanities, as well as health policy to Rockefeller to address the wider interests of the community. Lecturers have included Alan Alda, Malcolm Gladwell, James Watson and Michael Crichton, among many others. (see INSIGHT Lecture Series for future events.)
The Harvey Society Lecture Series are open to the public and are presented at Rockefeller University. The Harvey Lectures, comprising a series of seven annual lectures, are presented by leading biomedical researchers from around the world. Most Nobel laureates in Physiology or Medicine have presented Harvey Lectures. Several Rockefeller faculty have presented Harvey Lectures, including Drs. Ralph Steinman, Titia de Lange, Bruce McEwen, and Leslie Vosshall.
The Monday Lecture Series provides a forum for Rockefeller scientists to learn about the full range of research being carried out at the university. These talks are informal and provide a chance for heads of laboratories to share new data and discuss research in progress.
The Friday Lecture Series is one of the principal university-wide activities of the academic year. Scientists from around the world, and from varying disciplines, are invited to speak to the Rockefeller community and members of neighboring institutions to share their recent research, techniques, and findings.
Faculty Candidate Seminars are presented by scientists from a broad spectrum of research areas whom the University is considering for recruitment for Head of Laboratory positions.
The Special Seminar Series was established in the winter of 2007 to provide an opportunity for the University to highlight specific areas of research. The topical focus of these seminars changes based on campus initiatives.
Academic Symposia are hosted throughout the year to honor, celebrate, and acknowledge scientific achievements of the University's faculty, as well as national and international leaders spanning various fields of research.
The Rockefeller University Biotechnology Forum works to foster productive relationships between early career academic scientists and commercial entities in the biotechnology and pharmaceutical industries. The Forum aims to promote interest and entrepreneurship in the life sciences industry via educational and networking events involving both the academic and business communities.
In addition, investigators are advised to include details on their public appearances on broadcast and television programs, such as National Public Radio, popular science shows like NOVA, and news/talks shows on the Cable News Network and British Broadcasting Corporation, where they have discussed their research projects, as well as stories and interviews in other media. Contact Zach Veilleux (RU Communications & Public Affairs Office) for a list of past media appearances.
Other examples of outreach activities include participation and/or sponsorship of fundraising events for various diseases/conditions, like the Walk to Cure Psoriasis, as well as the Tri-Institutional Noon Recital series.
Useful links
Broader Impacts
Ensuring Workforce Diversity
RU Lectures and Events
RU Special Events
