Participating in Education and Outreach can be a challenge for research scientists at all levels. Grad students
and post docs looking ahead to having their own lab some day may be faced with the reality of seeing research
valued more than outreach. They may receive a mixed message of the need to be well-rounded followed by
disproportionate rewards. For young faculty, finding time to do outreach can be a challenge, but an incentive
to do so would be recognition. Building and maintaining a portfolio of their outreach efforts can be vital to
receiving that recognition.
Senior scientists are well aware that major funding agencies now require outreach to be an integral part of
every proposal. Yet institutional administrations may lag behind, still needing to be educated as to the
importance of rewarding scientists for doing outreach.
