Sharing your expertise with young people can inspire them to pursue academic degrees and careers related to water.
Whether you are new to working with K-12 audiences or looking to build on past experiences, the resources below are meant to make outreach more manageable and effective. You will find tools to help you communicate your research in accessible ways, navigate working with minors on a UW campus, and connect your work to water career pathways.
- Communication Tips for Working with K-12 Students
- Guidance on Incorporating Water Careers into Your Outreach
- K-12 Outreach Activity Resources
- Campus Visit Planning Checklist
- Checklist for Working with Minors
Ways to Engage
Choose what works best for your classroom or outreach efforts. The options below help you meet different goals and levels of commitment. You can start with a single, introductory experiences and progress to deeper, more sustained partnerships. Some partnerships focus on one type of engagement, while others move between multiple approaches over time.
Classroom Visits by UW Experts
Classroom visits bring scientists directly into K-12 settings, either in person or virtually. These can include short presentations, demonstrations, or interactive lessons that connect freshwater science to what students are learning. Classroom visits are a good starting point for building connections and introducing students to real-world science and careers.
On-Campus Student Experiences
On-campus experiences give students the opportunity to visit a university setting, such as a lab, research vessel or field site. These visits allow students to see science in action, interact with scientists and college students, and explore possible career pathways.
School-Based Programs Offered by UW Experts
School-based programs are more structured experiences led by university partners that take place at a K-12 school. These may include multi-day lessons, workshops or themed water units that build on classroom learning over time. This type of engagement allows for more depth and continuity than a single visit.
Research Partnerships Between Scientists and Classrooms
Classroom and scientist partnerships are longer-term collaborations where students engage more directly with scientific work. This could include collecting data, contributing to ongoing research or developing new solutions to real-world problems. These partnerships help students experience the scientific process in practice and build a stronger connection to the work scientists do.