AIC 53rd Annual Meeting

Letters to a Pre-Scientist is a free, accessible, and easy avenue for conservation outreach. Letters to a Pre-Scientist is a program that connects 5th-10th grade science students in low-income communities across the US to an international network of STEM professionals. Each student, or “pre-scientist”, is paired with a STEM professional and over the course of a school year, they correspond through eight letters. The letters discuss higher education pathways, career journeys, and overcoming obstacles. After you’re accepted to be a pen pal, you complete a training module to prepare you for writing to an audience you might not generally interact with. The training modules teach you how to tell compelling stories in STEM and adapt complex or abstract ideas to middle school reading levels. The resources available through the training portal dive into the systematic challenges around inequitable STEM education in the US and how to close the gap in communities. The goal of LPS is to broaden students’ awareness of what STEM professionals look like, demystify STEM career pathways, and inspire their curiosity about a future in STEM. 




      Students are matched with scientists based on their interests, allowing students who are interested in art to be paired with a conservator. In my first year as a pen pal, I was assigned to a 12-year-old girl who was interested in art but was not excited about STEM. Through images, diagrams, and compelling storytelling, I was able to discuss current work I was doing and how it combined art with science. I related aspects of my work, such as corrosion on metal objects, to what the student was learning in her science class. The Letters to a Pre-Scientist program also allows you to send class activities to the science teacher, enabling conservators to pass along hands-on conservation workshops such as testing pH on old paper. I was able to talk to my pen pal about my own academic struggles in chemistry and how I overcame them.  We were able to form a relationship on a personal level by discussing her friends, music interests, and our pets. Doing so humanized me as a STEM professional. Not only was the program fulfilling on a personal level, but the training also empowered me to learn more about systematic barriers within the cultural heritage field. The program has also challenged me to explain my work in a new way and has made me more confident speaking to intergenerational audiences. Letters to a Pre-Scientist is ideal for all conservators looking to make a difference, including emerging professionals who want to become more involved in outreach or private practice conservators who don’t have access to institutional outreach programs.