Outreach Award

All sessional instructors, lecturers, term, tenure-track faculty members at any rank and non-student staff employees in the Irving K. Barber Faculty of Science are eligible for this award. The nomination must have the support of at least one individual not affiliated with UBC who was involved in the outreach activity led by the nominee in the last 12 months; for example, the individual may be a student who benefited from the activity, a teacher from a school district whose students participated in the activity, or a co-organizer from a partnering non-profit organization.

Note that an individual who won the award previously will be ineligible for the same award for two years; i.e. an instructor who won in 2024 is not eligible in 2025 and 2026.

• Nominations may be submitted by individual or groups of students, alumni, and faculty members (including Department Heads, Associate Deans, and Dean) in the Faculty of Science. Self-nominations will not be considered.
• Only nominations pertaining to activities carried out within the last 12 months will be considered.
• A nomination form must be submitted through the link provided on this page. Submitted nomination forms will be sent directly to the Dean’s Office.
• Eligible nominees will be contacted by the Dean’s Office to submit a nomination package.
• The Faculty of Science Awards Adjudication Committee will review the nomination packages.
• The Dean’s Office will contact the award winner and release the results.
• The award will be presented at the Annual Faculty of Science Awards Ceremony.

Nominees will be contacted and asked to submit a statement that provides evidence of the impact of their community outreach activities. The statement should address the following points in a maximum 5-page document written in 12-point font with 1-inch margins:

• Nominee’s statement that provides context for the community outreach activities, including goals, and evidence of achievement (maximum 2 pages).
• Letter(s) of support (maximum 1 page each) from individuals outside the campus who can attest to the outreach impact of the nominee.
• A description of the outreach activity, and, where available, sample(s) of materials used at the event (e.g., slides, talk transcript, pictures) that demonstrates the outreach work being done (maximum 1 page).

Community outreach activities that actively engage members of the public. Specifically, the criteria for this award include:

1. Sharing Science Knowledge

   Give talks, workshops, demonstrations, or scientific explanations in any public forum or media (e.g., social media, radio, etc.). Share and promote scientific knowledge with parents, teachers, or the general public.

2. Public School Classroom Interactions

   Represent a science discipline in the Faculty of Science by giving talks, workshops, demonstrations, field activities, etc. in public schools. Share scientific knowledge with K-12 children in their school environment.

3. Development of Outreach Materials

   Develop materials specifically designed for outreach purposes, such as websites, pamphlets, books, videos, podcasts, or other printed and digital resources.

Nominations will be accepted throughout the academic year.

• Annual deadline for nominations is May 15th.
• Nominated faculty will be notified no later than May 31st and will be asked to complete their package by June 30th.
• Nominations will be adjudicated in July and award presentations will be made in September.