Abstract
JCMST Volume 39, Number 4, 2020, 339-359 It is the responsibility of today's scientists, engineers, and educators to
inspire and encourage our youth into technical careers that benefit our
society. Too often, however, this responsibility is buried beneath daily job
demands and the routines of teaching. Space Public Outreach Team (SPOT)
programs leverage a train-the-trainer model to empower college students to make
meaningful impacts in their local communities by engaging and inspiring younger
students through science presentations. SPOT takes advantage of the excitement
of space and the natural way college students serve as role models for
children. The result is a win-win program for all involved. This paper
describes the original Montana SPOT program, presents analyses demonstrating
the success of SPOT, gives overviews of program adaptations in West Virginia
and with the NANOGrav collaboration, describes how college student presenters
are able to share complex topics, and discusses the importance of college
student role models. We hope that our experiences with SPOT will help others
implement similar strategies in their own communities.