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Job Description / Duties

The Cedar Creek Ecosystem Science Reserve (https://www.cedarcreek.umn.edu/) is looking for an Education and Community Engagement Specialist. The primary responsibility of this position is to design and deliver education and community engagement programs that improve understanding of our planet’s ecosystems and its major environmental problems, and that increase science literacy through hands-on experiences. K-12 students and learners of other ages are the primary audience for these science-based educational programs. Other educational duties include training naturalist staff and volunteers, updating programming content, implementing program assessment, and communicating site science. Administrative duties include managing program budgets, purchasing, billing, hiring personnel, and related activities. Work takes place primarily at the University of Minnesota’s Cedar Creek research field station, East Bethel, MN and in the surrounding communities, and involves work both indoors and outdoors in natural ecosystems and long-term experiments. This description and list of duties is typical but not comprehensive.

Essential Functions:
60% - K-12 education
• Develop and deliver programs for K-12 students that meet the new Minnesota State Science Standards and other goals of local educators through field-based programming at Cedar Creek (April - June, September - November, occasional winter field trips, 1-4 weeks of summer camps/programs) and classroom-based programming online and at local schools (December to March). Integrate Cedar Creek’s scientific research into student programs, in collaboration with researchers, graduate students and Cedar Creek staff. Communicate with teachers to ensure field trips and classroom programs meet expectations.
• Develop, lead and/or host K-12 teacher professional development classes/opportunities (summer).
• With Associate Director and external evaluation partners, assess the impact of K-12 programs. Assess needs/wants of participants and update or create educational programming accordingly. Accumulate long-term data from K-12 student monitoring and evaluation. Work with Information Manager to store and distribute data and metadata. Disseminate assessment results to stakeholders.
• Work with Associate Director to provide training opportunities in science communication to graduate students, postdocs and faculty, and facilitate their involvement with K-12 field trip programs

20% - Community Engagement
• Coordinate citizen science programs and volunteer opportunities including sustaining long-term partnerships with collaborators; recruiting, training and managing volunteers; pursuing funding opportunities for citizen science projects; ensuring consistent and accurate data collection where appropriate. Work with Information Manager to store and distribute data and metadata.
• Lead development, planning and delivery of tours and presentations for the public at Cedar Creek, including monthly Lunch with a Scientist series. Teach annual Minnesota Master Naturalist certification course. Ensure that these programs accurately communicate Cedar Creek’s science and its impact. In collaboration with Director, Associate Director, faculty, and College of Biological Sciences staff, communicate site science to a wide range of audiences.
• Represent Cedar Creek at offsite community events, including East Bethel Booster Days, MN State Fair, local Earth Day festivals, Master Gardener and Master Naturalist annual gatherings.
• Oversee Fish Lake Nature Trail kiosk, educational materials, and trail signage to ensure positive visitor experiences. Coordinate with East Bethel Parks and Rec department about seasonal tasks including dock installation/removal, ski trail grooming, trespassing concerns, etc to ensure success.
• Maintain positive relationships with the local community through social media, quarterly newsletter, presence at local events, and quick responses to community questions and feedback via phone, email, social media and in-person conversations.
• With Associate Director, contribute to coordination of Cedar Creek’s Artist in Residence program, membership program, quarterly newsletter, and other long-term special projects as time permits.

15% - Administrative Support
• Monitor education budget, including National Science Foundation grant supplements, relevant grants at the state and federal level, revenue from K-12 programming, education payroll. Purchase supplies and field instruments needed for education programming. Identify and initiate external grants to fund education projects and programs.
• Do billing, purchasing and related paperwork for education and community engagement programs
• Report site usage data, budget data, and progress toward education and community engagement goals
• Collaborate with others at Cedar Creek to coordinate space use and to schedule and bill events.
• In coordination with the Associate Director, recruit, hire, orient and oversee naturalist staff and education volunteers interested in science communication and environmental education.

5% - Undergraduate and Graduate Education
• Provide tours, lectures and other programming for college-level courses, graduate seminars and undergraduate clubs (this includes University of Minnesota courses and clubs, as well as those offered by other higher education institutions) on their visits to Cedar Creek
• Assist University of Minnesota and other faculty with use of Cedar Creek’s scientific and natural areas to enhance relevant courses and workshops. Support field and lab activities, including coordinating access and equipment, for University of Minnesota courses offered at Cedar Creek.
• Provide opportunities for undergraduate and graduate students to contribute to K-12 education programs and community programs and events. Train University of Minnesota undergraduate and graduate students to effectively communicate science to learners of all ages.

Qualifications / Required Skills

Essential Qualifications:
● Masters degree in Ecology, Biology, Education or related field with at least 4 years of experience; or a BA/BS with at least 6 years of relevant post degree experience
● Documented experience developing, delivering content to, and managing K-12 programs.
● Experience working with MS Office (Word, Powerpoint, Excel) and Google Applications (Calendar, Gmail, Docs, Sheets).

Preferred Qualifications:
● Classroom and outdoors science teaching experience
● Work experience in one or more of the following areas: scientific or educational research, ecology, conservation, sustainability, or higher education.
● Knowledge of local, state, national, and global organizations, government agencies, businesses, and individuals who are stakeholders in education issues related to the environment, biodiversity, ecosystem services, sustainability, and conservation
● Familiarity with Cedar Creek or other biological field stations
● Experience with ArcGIS

Additional Information

To apply:

1) visit https://humanresources.umn.edu/jobs
2) click on the tab in the center of the page that corresponds to their situation/status
3) Search Job ID 346427

Priority review of applications will begin on 21 March 2022

Salary: $60,000 - 65,000 annually

Contact Information

Dr. Caitlin Barale Potter, caitlin@umn.edu