Teaming up to be a greater force for science.

Just as science cannot be accomplished alone, neither can science engagement, outreach, and communication. Similarly, just as diversity in any workplace is a key for optimal productivity and results, partnerships bring diversity in ideas, goals, strategies, and audiences that are crucial for success.

Some of my favorite collaborative programs are described below!

Carnegie Institution for Science

Scientific Event Partners

The Carnegie Institution for Science building is breathtaking, with its neoclassical Sixteenth Street façade, towering marble ballroom, and state-of-the-art, Art Deco 400-person auditorium. Therefore, it wasn't a surprise that, in 2014, a new Carnegie Science president charged his staff with turning the building, that for over a century was primarily used to house its administration, into *the* premier location for hosting scientific lectures, panels, conferences, film screenings, etc. My main responsibility at Carnegie Science was to put Carnegie on the map by teaming with the plethora of DC-based scientific organizations, as a consistent and reliable source of high-quality and exciting science, complementing the greatness of the Institution's scientific research. Not only did I manage all outreach partnerships between Carnegie Science and other research institution, government agencies, nonprofits, media outlets, and corporations, but I also created these opportunities, reaching to local and national scientific communities for collaborations of all varieties.

MY ROLE:

Besides managing the Carnegie Science-hosted events (for example, Capital Science Evenings), I also oversaw all other relationships between Carnegie Science headquarters and outside institutions. These relationships fell into three partnership categories: external, rental, and internal.
 
Scientific Events with External Partners:
Externally-partnered programs at Carnegie Science were collaborations between Carnegie Science and outside institutions whose goals aligned with the mission of Carnegie Science. I worked directly with our partners to create exciting and successful events that benefited both parties. While I managed all communication with our partners and all event logistics on the Carnegie-side (promotion, marketing, day-of needs), the events were a combined effort between four internal Carnegie groups. I worked with the Rentals team to write and execute contracts that outlined the optimal terms and agreements of each specific partnership, the Communications team on pre/during/and post-event social media strategy, and the Development team on any possible donor engagement opportunities. Lastly, I kept the Executive Office and all senior staff informed leading up to the events.
 
Some examples of exciting partnered events that took place while I was at Carnegie include: 
​NASA & The British Council
​FameLab National Finals
NOVA & PBS
Screening of Life's Rocky Start
American Academy of Arts & Sciences
Communicating Science in an Age of Disbelief in Experts
The French Embassy
US Premiere of The Odyssey
Embassy of the Philippines, United States Geological Survey, &  Smithsonian Institution: 
25 Years Ago at Pinatubo: The Forecast, Climax, and Aftermath
Taste of Science DC & March for Science
2 Scientists Podcast & Breakfast
The Kavli Foundation, the Royal Embassy of Norway, & the Norwegian Academy of Science 
Kavli Prize Laureate Lecture
DNA: Not Merely the Secret of Life, Dr. Nadrian C. Seeman
Council for Scientific Society President (CSSP) & the Kavli Foundation (3 lectures)
​CRISPR Biology and the New Era of Genome Engineering, Dr. Jennifer Doudna;
Engineering Human Genomes & Environments, Dr. George M. Church;
The Fiction of Memory, Dr. Elizabeth Loftus
Scientific Event Rentals:
It was often the case that an organization or group with a scientific mission would rent the building as a meeting space without further influence of Carnegie Science. These rentals were most likely treated like any other rental, similar to a corporate or wedding rental. Realizing this was a missed opportunity for both Carnegie Science and our renters, the Rentals team and I created the infrastructure to recognize and convert these renters into partners. Missed opportunities could mean missed opportunities for donor engagement, outreach, co-branding, or even a missed opportunity to incorporate one of Carnegie's scientists into a partner's program. Whatever the case, the Rentals team and I created a contract that fit the needs of our renter. I managed communication with the partners and was on-site during all partnered events to represent the institution if the Carnegie President wasn't able to attend.
 
Some examples of exciting partnered events that took place while I was at Carnegie include:  ​
DC Environmental Film Festival
International League of Conservation Photographers
WiLDSPEAK Conference
March for Science
​Partner Forum
U.S. Patent and Trademark Office
​Innovation to Power the Nation (and the World): Reinventing our Climate Future
USA Science & Engineering Festival
​X-STEM Speaker Reception
Internal Events:
Internal events were events hosted by the scientific staff from our six departments. While these events had been taking place several times a year, the Carnegie President encouraged the staff to take advantage of the building as an event venue for their conferences, lectures, and workshops. Previous to my arrival, no formal contracts existed and no official procedures were set in place for managing the relationship between the department and the administration, a fact that proved increasingly necessary due to the uptick in events hosted by the departments.
 
Working with the Rentals team, we created guidelines & procedures for the departments. I was the point of contact for the departments, I ensured proper and accurate branding and promotion, I managed interaction between the staff and the Executive Office, and was on hand at all events, representing the administration, running social media (if the Communication team was not available), and helping make sure events ran smoothly. In addition, I encouraged, and subsequently helped manage (event logistics, marketing, etc) public-facing events associated with internal meetings (for example, a post-conference public lecture).
Fundamental Physics of Ferroelectrics & Related Materials
27th Annual Workshop
36th MESSENGER Science Team Meeting
First Rock from the Sun: Exploring Mercury by Spacecraft

Carnegie Institution for Science

Science Press Day

In June of 2017, Carnegie Science invited the DC Science Writers Association (or DCSWA) and other DC-based media on an exciting and exclusive tour of Carnegie's Broad Branch Road (BBR) Campus, home of two of the six Carnegie Science departments located across the country: Department of Terrestrial Magnetism and Geophysical Labs.  BBR is as an interdisciplinary research center for the Earth and planetary sciences and high-pressure physics. It is home to more than 40 labs and over 100 staff and visiting scientists, postdocs, and technical specialists.

MY ROLE:

After arriving at Carnegie, I began brainstorming ways to best expose members of the press to the broad breadth of exciting Carnegie science. I had several conversations with leadership of the DC Science Writers Association (or DCSWA) and thus was born "Carnegie Science Press Day".
 
I teamed with our communication staff and support staff from the two BBR departments to pull off the all-day event that hosted 22 members of the media and included breakfast, a video welcome from our President and historian, lunch, a tour of the BBR library, and eight individual lab tours led by Carnegie Investigators and postdocs. By all accounts it was extremely successful. Many of the participants, both Carnegie scientists and the press, made a point to find me, thank me, and tell me how much of an amazing time they had. 

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Partnered Outreach Events.