Career Talk at California Science Center

SCEC Outreach Staff

On July 1, SCEC outreach specialists Mark Benthien and Sara Tekula gave a "Careers in Science" presentation for high school students at the new California Science Center's K-12 Summer Science Camp program.

Mark, who has a degree in geophysics, spoke on behalf of the careers in science that require a science background. He mentioned that people who study earth science are not limited to teaching or doing research at universities, but that they work in various areas of business, industry, and government, in fields such as oil exploration, engineering, computer programming, public policy. He also pointed out that communicating about the science to the community is as important as hands-on research.

Sara, who has a social science background, enlightened those who assumed that a degree in a "core science" was necessary to work at a place like SCEC. She expanded on Mark's idea about communication, demonstrating that when dealing with an issue like earthquake outreach, communication skills are vital. She touched on areas of study such as the behavioral and social sciences and the roles that they play, especially in the practical applications of earthquake science.

The pair finished with a short lesson in earthquake preparedness, distributing the publication Putting Down Roots in Earthquake Country and copies of this newsletter. Sara has also arranged for two more guest presentations, another on "Careers in Science" for high school students and one on "Earthquake Basics" for the elementary school level, with John Galeztka of the USGS as a guest speaker.

The camp and its guest speakers program are features of the center's new public education program. Besides dispelling common myths about scientists, Mark and Sara reported being impressed that the students seem to believe that scientists have "open minds" and that their main goal is to "better humanity."

SCEC would like to congratulate and thank Joe Peacock, coordinator of the Science Camp, for providing a wonderful summer alternative for kids interested in science.