Annual Report 2007: FY July 1, 2006-June 30, 2007
Public Outreach Committee
The function of the Committee on Public Outreach is to develop means of informing the public about geology in general and petroleum geology in particular, and to report successful projects to AAPG’s affiliated societies.
Strategic public outreach involves the following steps:
- Develop a list of stakeholders or publics-individuals or groups who can affect or are affected by the organization
- Determine the concerns of the public
- Identify and manage the organization’s response to concerns
- Develop communications objectives (communication, retention of message, acceptance of message, agreement with message, complementary two-way behavior)
- Plan programs to achieve objectives
- Implement programs
- Evaluate programs
Any public outreach effort requires overcoming several challenges:
- Competing for attention
- Overcoming perceptions of organizational bias
- Volunteers stretched to their limits
- Sustaining the effort
Last year, the committee considered whom “the public” should include and which issues AAPG can address credibly and effectively. We designated liaisons to relevant AAPG committees and several other organizations, including AGI, Coalition on the Public Understanding of Science, the National Park Service, and PTTC; and we will look for additional opportunities for beneficial collaboration. The best-sustained of these relationships is that with AGI.
This year, Bob Lindblom of the Committee Oversight Committee again kindly provided information from committee chairs about their outreach activities so that appropriate coordination occurs. Liaisons are especially important between the Public Outreach committee and 100th Anniversary, Education, and Youth Educational Activities committees.
After considering many possible courses of action, including one-time print publications, the committee decided that it would best serve AAPG by developing a proposal for a public web site dedicated to outreach. The proposal was submitted to the AAPG Executive Committee during the fourth quarter of 2006, and page mockups are being revised by committee member Rachel Páez. As Web development proceeds, other outreach projects will make use of material developed for the Web site.
AAPG was featured in a page of the Earth Science Week calendar to be distributed by AGI in October 2006. AAPG has asked to participate in 2007 Earth Science Week activities because of the program’s consistent success in engaging students and teachers.
As the DPA Government Affairs Committee revises AAPG Position Papers, the Public Outreach committee will communicate in a manner consistent with our publicly stated positions.
Plan for 2006–2007:
- Submit proposal for public outreach Web site (completed)
- Develop Web pages (in progress)
- Develop additional outreach material consistent with Position Papers and capitalizing on investment in Web development (delayed until launch of Web site)
- Continue liaison activities to avoid duplication of effort (completed)
- Participate in Earth Science Week mailing by AGI (in progress)
Membership of the committee is stable but few, so volunteers are welcome. We especially invite members from AAPG Regions. I am grateful to all the members of the committee for their efforts, and to Will Green and Larry Nation for their guidance.