Bilingual science communication: A call for a geoscience community of practice

Abstract

Education and outreach bring science to the general public, engage families, and ignite a passion for science in youth to seek careers in STEM. However, engagement in science depends on access, and language can be a major barrier. To ensure a welcoming, inclusive, and diverse community in the geosciences, we are calling for a community of practice that focuses on Spanish–English bilingual geoscience communication within the United States and beyond. This commentary provides examples of a spectrum of existing bilingual outreach efforts as conducted by three geoscience facilities. We discuss ways in which the geoscience community can learn from these and other existing efforts, develop research-informed practice, and share ideas and approaches to increase access to a broad audience of Spanish speakers.

Keywords:

• Education
• outreach
• bilingual science communication
• earth science
• diversity

Funding

This material is based upon work supported by the National Science Foundation. The National Center for Atmospheric Research, UNAVCO, and the Incorporated Research Institutions for Seismology are sponsored by the National Science Foundation. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation.