Using the opening of the Mission Bay campus as a catalyst, University officials are launching an extensive public outreach process, called the UCSF Public Science Project, to determine how the campus can expand its science education programs. The planning process is being financed and coordinated by UCSF Community and Governmental Relations, a unit of University Advancement and Planning.

Still in its formative stages, the project has begun with a series of brainstorming interviews with civic, neighborhood and education community leaders who have ideas about how UCSF can augment its public science and health education programs. Project staff is gathering ideas and comments on a variety of issues, including audiences to be served, topics in which they may be interested, partnerships that should be explored, and settings in which outreach may be most effective.

Project staff also will be interviewing UCSF faculty and staff. To maximize input, a website with an online survey has been created and members of the campus community are encouraged to visit the site and fill out the survey. The survey takes about 15 minutes to fill out. The site is located at http://pub.ucsf.edu/publicscience/.

"I would encourage the UCSF community to contribute ideas as to how the University can extend what we do to educate students, their teachers, and adults about science and health," said Executive Vice Chancellor Regis Kelly.

UCSF has long shared its expertise with neighbors. In 1987, under the leadership of Professor Bruce Alberts, former head of the department of biochemistry and biophysics and now president of the National Academy of Sciences, UCSF created the Science and Health Education Partnership, which promotes partnerships between scientists and educators in support of high quality science education for K-12 students in the San Francisco Unified School District.

The success of that program led to several others. The UCSF School of Dentistry's Health Sciences Enrichment Program and the UCSF Graduate Division's Center for Science Education and Outreach also serve K-12 students. In addition, the Graduate Division coordinates the Summer Research Training Program, which helps minority undergraduates hone scientific skills in preparation for graduate work.

UCSF's Public Affairs department offers a six-week evening lecture series called Mini Medical School, designed for adults who want to learn about issues in human health. This year's Mini Med kicked off on April 2 with a lecture by Dan Lowenstein, professor of neurology and director of the UCSF Epilepsy Program, titled "Epilepsy and Seizures: New Insights into 'The Sacred Disease.'"

Not wanting to rest on the successes of UCSF's existing science education programs, the opening of UCSF Mission Bay provides a fresh opportunity for UCSF to redouble its science education efforts, particularly as it applies to communities near the new campus: Bayview Hunters Point, South of Market, the Mission, and Potrero Hill.

The Public Science Project is being overseen by a committee appointed by Kelly and co-chaired by Bruce Conklin, associate professor of medicine at the Gladstone Institute of Cardiovascular Disease, and Steven Neuberger, director of community and governmental relations at UCSF. Also serving on the committee are UCSF faculty, staff, and representatives of the University's Community Advisory Group.

"This is an exciting initiative," said Irene Agnos, associate vice chancellor for university relations. "We're looking forward to tapping the expertise and energy of both the campus and external community to develop program ideas that build upon our excellent science education programs."

For more information, contact Orlando Elizondo, manager for the Public Science Project, at 476-3206, or visit the project's web site.

Source: Mike Mason and Jeff Miller

Last updated January 28, 2005