NIH OSE - NIH Science Education Volunteer Opportunities

A place where the NIH community can find volunteer opportunities

Above: image of two person icons holding two puzzle pieces one says 'Scientist' and the other says 'Educator'. Below: Text that says 'A Scientist's guide to K-12 Partnerships'.

Science Education Nation is a Web-based guide to help scientists and other professionals support K-12 education.

Science Education as an Official Duty Activity

Volunteer Opportunities

LifeWorks E-Mentoring – Volunteer for this online mentoring program to provide relevant information, guidance, and support to students who are interested in healthcare and biomedical careers.
Science Fair Judges – (local DC, MD, VA area only) – Volunteer to be a science fair judge at local schools.
LifeWorks Speakers Bureau – (local DC, MD, VA area only) – Volunteer to speak at area schools and community organizations about your career and research at the NIH.
Elementary Outreach Program – (Frederick and adjacent counties in MD and WV, only) – Opportunity to provide supplemental science training through hands-on experiences to elementary school students.
Biomedical Research After-School Scholars (BRASS) – (vicinity of Rocky Mountain Laboratories only) – Opportunity for NIH scientists to communicate with middle school students about the nature of scientific research conducted at a biomedical research facility. The program consists of five lab sessions covering topics such as hematology, genetics, cancer, infectious diseases, and animal research.
ReSET – (local DC, MD, VA area only) ReSET – volunteers spend six hours of classroom time each term teaching children hands-on science through in-class exercises and inquiry-based experiments, followed by a field trip to a science laboratory or museum.
National Lab Network – National Lab Network is a nationwide initiative to build local communities of support that will foster ongoing collaborations among volunteers, students and educators.
Informal Science Engagement Opportunities at the Smithsonian

In a year that sees both the 60th anniversary of Francis Crick and James Watson’s elucidation of DNA’s structure and the 10th anniversary of the human genome’s complete decoding, the Smithsonian Institution joins forces with the National Human Genome Research Institute in Bethesda, Maryland, to explore what the genome is, what it tells us and how this information could revolutionize health care and our understanding of our place in the world. After its time on the National Mall, the show will travel around North America. This exciting exhibit has been singled out as a "Hot ticket for 2013 in Science and Art" by Nature magazine.

There will be much to discover, understand, and communicate to the public in the coming year while the exhibition is resident at the National Museum of Natural History. Public engagement will be essential in extending the outreach of this groundbreaking initiative. NIH senior scientists and qualified trainee level scientists such as graduate students and postdoctoral fellows, as well as NIH professional staff*, are invited to present in informal science engagement programs hosted by the Museum: "The Scientist Is In" and "Genomic Nerds". Read more and register at https://www.training.nih.gov//sas/_20/499. Please contact Belen Hurle at bhurle@mail.nih.gov for additional information.

* Post-baccalaureate? Non- scientific background? Inquire about additional volunteer opportunities at NMNHVolunteer@si.edu