Oral: Overviewing the Success of the NASA Community College Symposium

As a pilot program, we were awarded a NASA SCoPE grant through Arizona State University (ASU) to put on an event called the NASA Community College Symposium (NCCS). This project was in collaboration with the NASA Community College Network (NCCN) at the Fleet Science Center. Our event consisted of a planetarium show in 360º IMAX theatre led by astronomy community college professor Dr. Lisa Will, symposium panel of scientists within industry (NASA Goddard & Malin Space Science Systems) and academia (SDSU) with a Q&A and breakout sessions / interactive workshops. Our diverse panel of scientists was 100% community college transfers. Our interactive symposium provided local students with the inspiration and a perspective that community college transfers are more than capable of pursuing their passions for STEM. Panelists talked about their research / journeys towards STEM and lead interactive breakout sessions regarding their fields of expertise (e.g., Leading the public through a DIY of building your own comet out of dry ice). All talks and breakout sessions were recorded and will be made available on the NASA Community College Network (NCCN) website. This event directly addresses The 2020 Astronomical Decadal Survey’s intention of engaging underrepresented groups with astronomy education to inspire careers in STEM.

The success of this program indicated a local demand for these types of events. We surpassed the maximum venue capacity with more than 250 attendees and obtained a 81.25% retention rate for RSVPs converted into real attendees. The success shows that this pilot model could be held annually or hosted in major cities with substantial populations of underrepresented groups across the US (Los Angeles, Atlanta, etc.), inspiring careers in STEM and connecting available resources to a wide array of persons.