Science communication and data literacy: Reflections on my fellowship with Data Nuggets 

As a first-year graduate student moving from Reno, Nevada, I had some hesitation about whether I’d find connections in Michigan or at the W.K. Kellogg Biological Station. I never expected that one of my strongest connections would be with an outreach program I had experienced as a student and teacher: Data Nuggets. 

Data Nuggets are lessons designed by scientists to engage K–16 students in data literacy using real scientific data. Coming from an education background, I encountered Data Nuggets during high school as a student, and then again when I was looking for lessons for my own students as a teacher. I had no idea they were connected to KBS! 

In my first semester, I met Liz and Melissa, the creators and directors of Data Nuggets, and began helping occasionally with projects. Then, this past spring, I was fortunate to receive the Data Nuggets Fellowship, where I got to dive deeper into the program, from science communication to program management, and see all the behind-the-scenes work that keeps Data Nuggets running. 

Highlights from the Fellowship 

One of the most exciting parts of the fellowship was presenting at the Michigan Science Teachers Association Conference in March. During our session, I spoke with about 25 educators about using Data Nuggets in their classrooms. In the second half of the session, I walked the audience through Little Butterflies on the Prairie, a new Data Nugget based on my lab’s research that had just launched in January. It was amazing to hear directly from teachers about their classroom experiences, how they planned to adapt these lessons for their students, and what resources they’d like to see next. 

I also revived the monthly Data Nuggets newsletter where I highlighted new activities, teacher resources, and the upcoming outreach events. For the February newsletter, I interviewed and wrote a blog post highlighting KBS postdoc Dr. Rosemary Martin to share with teachers how science doesn’t stop in the winter.

Finally, I was able to help with Data Nugget’s recent effort in highlighting the scientists behind the science. A handful of lessons now include scientist profiles, allowing students to learn not just about the research, but about the people and stories behind it. 

Why Data Nuggets is important

The need for data literacy is quickly rising. However, many classrooms today do not incorporate real data in their lessons. Real data is messy! Data Nuggets are a perfect solution! They get students thinking about the current problems around them, as we have DNs written by people all over the U.S. and world! They get students engaged in real scientific research and the scientists’ creative solutions, and they also get students practicing with authentic data, complete with those dreaded decimals! 

Why outreach matters 

As a first-year grad student, this fellowship reminded me that research doesn’t end when a paper is published. The next step is sharing that knowledge in ways that matter, like with the next generation of scientists. 

It has been my goal after graduate school to be a bridge between researchers and educators. Whether that be with an open-source program for teachers or by returning to the classroom myself, I hope to continue to share Data Nuggets resources.  

I am thrilled to be able to work with Data Nuggets and I look forward to the continued connection in many semesters, and years, to follow. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Samson Stynen is a first-year Ph.D. student in the Haddad Lab at Kellogg Biological Station. He studies the impacts of climate change on butterfly morphology and demography. He aspires to be a link between educators and scientists. He was awarded a KBS Outreach Fellowship to join the Data Nuggets program and gain experience in science outreach and communication.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~