Community Engagement Student Assistant

Description

Community engagement as the Morgridge Institute is linked with our mission to spark scientific curiosity and to serve society in partnership with the UW-Madison. For us, “community” includes students, teachers, researchers, and the general public . . . and that means that our work isn’t limited to a laboratory:

• We build programs designed to inspire the next generation of fearless scientists.
• We support educators working to enrich their STEM classrooms.
• We provide professional training to prepare well-rounded early-career researchers.

We will be hiring one or more student assistants to begin April, 2026 and to continue throughout the summer and fall terms, potentially until the assistants graduation. Community Engagement Student Assistants will assist in all phases of the development and delivery of STEM experiences to K-12 audiences and the general public within the Discovery Building in the Town Center and Teaching Labs, off-site at area community centers and schools, over the summer at the Summer Science Camp, and some virtual experiences. Assistant responsibilities will also include supporting the setup, execution, and cleanup of scientific staff events. In addition to helping prepare hands-on experiences and delivery the content, this position will assist in lab management and administration assistant tasks.

Duties Include:

Assisting in all aspects of our programming, such as helping set up community engagement and professional development events, contributing to administrative tasks, assisting field trips and lab/classroom management, and staying overnight in campus dorms to supervise the Summer Science Camp during the summer. These duties will be taking place in-person. Weekend and evening hours may be required. Daytime on-site weekday availability is required. This position will also collaborate with the Wisconsin Science Festival and Science Expeditions. Relevant experience is a plus, but not required, and training will be provided.

Requirements

Candidate must be a UW-Madison student. The ideal candidate will have experience with science communication, public speaking, teaching, or research. Must demonstrate great attention to detail, be able to work with minimal supervision, and conduct oneself in a professional manner.

Requirements for the position include the ability to handle multiple tasks while prioritizing and meeting deadlines; effective oral and written communication skills and strong customer service skills are a plus. The candidate should be able to effectively work in-person at the Discovery Building, on-campus, and off-campus in the Madison metropolitan area. We are seeking individuals who are committed to working a minimum of 10-15 hours per week during the school semesters from 9:00-1:00pm with possibly more hours as available, such as during the summer.