A multi-disciplinary, multi-state, multi-engagement learning ecosystem flourishes at a small liberal arts college in the Pacific Northwest

Geology is one part of a robust learning ecosystem (with Astronomy, Biology, Biochemistry-Biophysics-Molecular Biology, Chemistry, Computer Sciences, Math, Physics) at Whitman College. Our combined efforts nourish public outreach, support science-interested students in their first year of college, and inform juniors and seniors of research opportunities and post-graduation options. Embedded within an agrarian county (population ~61,000) in Washington State, our learning ecosystem extends to two neighboring small colleges, diverse K-12 school populations, and adjacent communities in northeastern Oregon. Individually, faculty have a long history of engaging in outreach events. Collectively, grassroots efforts have coalesced into a college-wide goal to encourage learning outside the classroom, and recently tenure and promotion guidelines incentivize and reward this work. As an example of increasing institutional support and coordination over the past 10-15 years, a foundation grant seeded a science outreach coordinator (SOC), now internally supported. The SOC facilitates week-long science workshops for in-service K-12 teachers, aligns faculty-created activities with state science standards, and coordinates volunteers for science activity nights in elementary schools. Ecosystem activities grow from partnerships with the local library, museums, non-profits, and a local tribal school and feature an annual public Bio-Blitz event, a STEM program for middle schoolers from the CTUIR school, and a week-long geology-ecology summer program for high school students. These successes have created a virtuous circle, enabling additional extramural awards to develop and strengthen collaborative learning communities. Our latest initiatives have created a STEM resource and gathering hub housed in the Science Building and a summer colloquium series for students engaged in thesis research; both aim to increase student metacognition and belongingness in STEM and to bring equity and transparency to course engagement and to mentoring.