Public Education

History and Mission

Established as a standing committee by the Board of Directors in 1993, and the mission statement revised in 2009, the Public Education Committee seeks to make information about mammals accessible to grades K-12 in formal education settings and to everyone in informal settings. Committee members foster outreach projects in our society to raise awareness of mammals for children and adults. The committee coordinates its efforts with the assistance of other ASM committees, sister societies, informal public educational organizations, as well as elementary and high school science teachers.

Responsibilities

The Public Education Committee conducts several activities including the Public Education Partnership (PEP)which is an initiative to encourage activity and visibility of ASM members in their local K-12 classrooms. This initiative was launched at the 1995 annual meeting at the University of Vermont with 64 charter members.

The Committee also developed and maintains a program, the ASM SCIENCE FAIR AWARDS, to promote and encourage involvement of students in the study of mammalogy. The program is designed to recognize student participation in science fairs and academies. Certificates of achievement can be awarded by ASM members (or appropriate proxy) to those students working with mammals and whose studies meet the guidelines and criteria of the program. Copies of the guidelines and certificates are maintained by the Committee Chair.

The Committee also serves as a Clearinghouse on information on mammals for K-12 teachers and is working to develop state lists of mammals.

Chair

Barbara J. Shaw (sciencea2z@yahoo.com)

Members

Lily C. Arias, K. Bell, G. A. Feldhamer, D. A. Ginnett, A. Joachim, R. J. Larsen, V. Mathis, M. J. Merrick, V. Naples, D. K. Odell, J. R. O’Neill, P. Owen, B. Sasse, L. Schlitter, S. Sheffield, K. K. Thorington, J. Varner, T. Wood

To view our state-specific lists of indigenous mammals please visit the "about mammals" section of our web site, or click on "Lists of Mammals" in the pull-down menu on our home page.