COFFIES Education & Outreach Team is tasked with directing our STEM Engagement and Outreach & Informal Science Communication initiatives. To that end, this Team currently has two primary missions:

COFFIES Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) program

  • Our intensive program will provide diverse undergraduates with authentic research experiences gleaned from throughout our COFFIES Center to spark their interests in STEM, increase their understanding of modern research methodologies and practices, expand their professional networks and communication skills, and cultivate a sense of possible self that includes careers in solar research, as well as in NASA science and academia in general. Many of COFFIES’ researchers already have a solid track record of engaging in significant transformative work with undergraduates, and our postdocs and graduate students will also serve as mentors and fellow educators, thus improving their leadership skills as well.

COFFIES Public Outreach and Informal Science Education (POISE) program

  • The primary goals of the COFFIES public outreach and informal science education (POISE) activities are to advance enthusiasm and support for NASA science among the general public, make the public aware of and interested in the intricacies of the Sun and our Center-connected research, and help motivate the next generation of diverse scientists and engineers for successful admission to college and STEM majors. Through leadership from public engagement experts at the UC Berkeley Space Sciences Laboratory and Lawrence Hall of Science (LHS), an internationally renowned informal science center, we will make use of intensive visual tools and models to translate COFFIES research for general audiences and disseminate it through NASA’s previous investments in public engagement nationally via partnership with a longstanding, trusted network of science centers and museums. Throughout our POISE development process, COFFIES researchers and engineers (including postdocs and graduate students) will join the POISE team to help clarify and hone public messaging before moving toward final creation and implementation of our engagement elements.