Corps for Outreach & Public Engagement
The Illinois Natural History Survey (INHS), a division of the Institute of Natural Resource Sustainability at the University of Illinois, has created the Corps for Outreach & Public Engagement, also known as COPE. The Corps provides a new and permanent home for many of the outreach and educational activities that the Illinois Natural History Survey is currently engaged in. This new Corps will also provide a greater opportunity for national and international recognition, as COPE expands its public interactions.At the core of COPE are the established and respected programs already in place at the Survey. These include:
- Illinois Wilds Institute for Nature (IWIN) – a successful series of adult education field classes that are primarily field-based and taught by scientists from the INHS.
- Corps of Discovery – these workshops teach participants to document changes over time in a specific location. These groups contribute to ongoing preservation and conservation efforts for the specific areas they are tied to.
- Traveling and Mobile Science Centers – our dynamic science classrooms educate students throughout Illinois. The exhibits in both vehicles, which concentrate on increasing knowledge of Illinois’ biodiversity and conservation, were created at the INHS and are updated as necessary.
- INHS Speaker’s Bureau – a group of scientists, both current and retired, that are willing to speak to diverse audiences.
- Illinois Steward Magazine – a magazine devoted to providing information to Illinois’ citizens about the state’s natural resources and heritage. The INHS has been a partner to the magazine by providing staff time to contribute to each issue.
- An assortment of INHS educational materials.
- Our expertise in low cost, high quality exhibit design and construction.
- A world-class photographic resource of natural history images.
Additionally, it is envisioned that COPE will become a center for the development of hybrid (On-line and face-to-face) instructional materials as well as involving talented staff members who currently are not involved in formal outreach activities. Finally, it is hoped that COPE will become a strong component in the funding of future National Science Foundation proposals.