Undergraduates Learn Evolution Through Teaching Kindergartners About Blind Mexican Cavefish.

Area of Science:

• * Education
• * Biology
• * Science Communication

Background:

• * Scientific outreach activities face challenges in audience engagement and inclusivity.
• * Effective outreach requires tailoring content complexity and promoting scientific understanding.
• * Engaging diverse audiences is crucial for scientific literacy and future scientist development.

Purpose of the Study:

• * To present a guide for a hands-on scientific outreach event for kindergarten learners.
• * To involve undergraduate students in the development and delivery of the outreach activity.
• * To foster scientific and communication skills in undergraduate students through public outreach.

Main Methods:

• * Developed four detailed, hands-on activities focused on the blind Mexican cavefish.
• * Targeted the outreach event to kindergarten-level understanding.
• * Included undergraduate students in activity design and facilitation.

Main Results:

• * The blind Mexican cavefish activities were enthusiastically received by kindergarten audiences.
• * Undergraduate student involvement promoted public outreach engagement.
• * Participants gained new scientific and communication skills.

Conclusions:

• * The described outreach format is flexible and adaptable to other biological topics.
• * Active learning approaches benefit both elementary students and undergraduate facilitators.
• * This model enables effective scientific outreach, enhancing learning for all involved.