Dr. Anna Waldron’s goal at MU is to break down barriers. Bring on the science.

            Waldron is director of the new Office of Science Outreach, which was created to help bring together diverse audiences of various education levels who may have an interest in science.

            “There was a need for this resource at MU but no funding,” Waldron says. “Through a creative effort by the MU Science Education Center, we have a staff of two and can now leverage that funding to seek additional resources to address the need for assistance with outreach programs.”

            One of the goals of the office is to serve as a resource for MU faculty who are interested in doing some type of community outreach. Waldron also hopes to encourage students to consider pursuing science as a field, especially women.

“It’s a personal goal of mine to get more women to feel involved with science,” she says. “Whether they’re middle school, high school or adult women, I want them to feel engaged.”

Pathway to Outreach

            Waldron found her way into teaching after realizing how much she enjoyed helping and watching people learn.

            “I always kept coming back to how much I enjoyed working with people,” Waldron says. “There is a difference between teaching and helping people learn, and I want to be someone who provides those learning opportunities.”

            Waldron has taught a variety of subjects throughout grades 5-12, including English and Spanish in New York and Tennessee. Outside the classroom, Waldron integrated technology into curriculum for these grades.

            In 2000, Waldron moved to Cornell University to serve as director of education for the university’s NSF-funded Nanobiotechnology Center.  It was at Cornell where Waldron first explored science outreach.

            “Our main focus was to take high end research and translate it so that more people could understand what is actually being researched,” Waldron says.

            When her husband, Dr. Matthew Waldron, now an assistant professor in animal sciences, was considering his position at MU, she encouraged him to accept the position because of the university’s spirit of collaboration. Waldron soon found her own position as director of the Office of Science Outreach.

            “People here were already talking and working together because they wanted to, not because they were being asked to,” Waldron says. “That type of collaboration and connection between education and science is not seen at every institution.”

Connecting with the Community

            The Office of Science Outreach has several projects in place that Waldron hopes will connect faculty with community groups.

            Saturday Morning Science, a program that brings science to the community in a mix of lectures, demonstrations and entertainment, will expand from a weekly lecture at MU to a statewide traveling program. The first visiting lecture will take place in St. Joseph in May.

            “With these new programs, I want to get people talking,” Waldron says. “Saturday Morning Science brings science to the community without all the jargon.”

            The Center is also working to further public understanding of science by supporting graduate students as they make presentations across the community.

            “By going to places like adult care facilities, our graduate students are presenting information, and the public now has an opportunity to understand science and ask questions,” Waldron says.

            In the future, Waldron wants to get more student groups involved with science outreach while also bringing community members to take a closer look at science.

            “There are a lot of barriers associated with science, and I hope to help get rid of those,” she says. “I want everyone to see himself or herself as a scientist.”