STEMsaic Portal to the Public
STEMsaic Portal to the Public
Public engagement with science isn't about simplifying research for "non-experts." It's about building relationships where scientists and community members learn together. Relationships that transform how both groups see themselves in relation to STEM and to each other.
STEMsaic brings Portal to the Public training expertise into the Story + Mosaic framework, making effective science communication accessible, intentional, and sustainable for research teams, institutions, and community partners.
Public engagement with science matters too much to leave to chance.
Let's design it intentionally—together.
When we approach science engagement as relationship-building rather than information delivery, we create space for transformation together. Scientists become better communicators. Community members develop STEM identity. Institutions build trust. And partnerships generate impact that ripples far beyond initial interactions.
Portal to the Public principles, integrated within the Story + Mosaic framework, offer a proven path forward. A flexible approach that adapts to your unique context while honoring the core values of engagement, mutual learning, and sustained relationships.
"The best science engagement doesn't feel like 'outreach'. It feels like coming home to a community that values both expertise and lived experiences. Everyone's ideas, questions, and contributions are always welcomed."
— Travis Tangen, STEMsaic
Ready to start? Reach out today and let's begin designing partnerships that transform how science and communities connect.
Email Us: partner@STEMsaic.com
The Core Elements: A Partnership Design Approach
1. TENSIONS → GOALS: Why Engagement Matters (To Everyone)
Portal to the Public recognizes that multiple motivations can coexist—the hallmark of mosaic partnerships. Rather than forcing a single narrative, we honor the diverse reasons each stakeholder brings to science engagement.
For Scientists
  • Broader impacts requirements for funding
  • Communicating research value to taxpayers
  • Recruiting future talent to the field
  • Personal fulfillment in sharing discovery
For Community Members
  • Understanding science that affects daily life
  • Seeing themselves as capable of "doing" science
  • Accessing wonder and curiosity
  • Connecting local knowledge to research
For Institutions
  • Mission fulfillment and community trust
  • Workforce development pipelines
  • Public support for research investment
  • Demonstrable social impact

Design Prompt: What brings each partner to this engagement opportunity? How can one set of activities serve multiple goals simultaneously?
2. CHARACTERS → ROLES: Scientists As People, Not Just Experts
The transformation happens when scientists step out of the "expert" role and into authentic relationship-building. This shift fundamentally changes the dynamic from one-way information delivery to mutual learning and discovery.
1
FROM
"Let me teach you about my research"
2
TO
"Let me share what fascinates me and learn what matters to you"
Key Principles for Meaningful Engagement
Inquiry-Based Conversation
Move beyond lecture-style presentations to genuine dialogue that invites questions, curiosity, and exploration from all participants.
Two-Way Dialogue
Value community knowledge and lived experience as legitimate contributions to understanding science in context.
STEM Identity Development
Foster participation and belonging rather than passive listening—everyone can engage with science.
Recognition & Belonging
Create spaces where participants recognize themselves as people who engage with and understand scientific concepts.
Practitioner Training Includes
  • How people learn in informal settings and why traditional academic approaches often fail
  • Communication strategies for diverse audiences across age, background, and prior knowledge
  • Making science accessible without "dumbing down" complex concepts
  • Listening and responding authentically to audience perspectives and questions
  • Designing interactive experiences that invite participation

Design Prompt: Who are the scientists/researchers willing to engage? What hidden assets do they bring beyond content expertise (personal stories, unexpected connections, local ties)? How do we prepare them to build relationships, not just deliver information?
3. PLOT → ACTIVITIES: From One-Time Events to Sustained Connection
Effective engagement isn't a single public lecture—it's a designed sequence of interactions that builds trust, deepens understanding, and creates pathways for ongoing involvement over time. Think of it as a narrative arc where each touchpoint advances the relationship.
The Participation Arc: A Journey of Deepening Engagement
01
PRE-ENGAGEMENT
Laying the foundation for meaningful connection
  • Relationship building between scientists and host institution
  • Professional development for researchers in communication skills
  • Community needs assessment to understand context and interests
  • Co-design of activities with community partners
02
DURING ENGAGEMENT
Creating authentic moments of interaction
  • Face-to-face and digital interactions that feel personal
  • Hands-on, inquiry-based activities that invite participation
  • Conversational formats rather than one-way presentations
  • "On-the-spot" adjustments based on audience response and energy (NSF Supported On the Spot framework)
03
SUSTAINING
Building infrastructure for continued involvement
  • Follow-up opportunities for deeper involvement and learning
  • Pathways from audience member to active participant to collaborator
  • Documentation of stories and impacts for continuous improvement
  • Institutional infrastructure that outlasts individual enthusiasm
04
GROWING STORIES
Catalyzing network effects and expansion
  • Participants become ambassadors who bring others
  • New partnerships emerge organically from connections made
  • Model replicates and adapts across different contexts
  • Network effects multiply impact beyond initial reach

Design Prompt: What's the timeline for building this engagement ecosystem? How do single events connect to sustained relationships? What infrastructure keeps this going beyond individual enthusiasm?
4. TURNING POINTS → BREAKTHROUGHS: Recognizing When It's Working
Portal to the Public engagement creates observable moments of transformation—those "aha" experiences where something fundamental shifts in how people see themselves, science, or each other. These breakthrough moments signal that genuine engagement is happening.
For Audience Members
"I never thought I could understand this, but I do"
"I have questions about science in my own life"
"I see how my experience connects to research"
"I want to learn more / get involved / share this"
For Scientists
"People are genuinely curious about my work"
"Their questions made me think differently about my research"
"This community has knowledge I hadn't considered"
"I enjoy this more than I expected"
For Partnerships
Scientists return voluntarily for additional programs
Community members bring friends and family to future events
Unexpected collaborations emerge organically
Institutional support and investment grows

Assessment Prompt: What evidence signals meaningful engagement is happening? How do we capture these moments without adding evaluation burden that kills the organic nature of the interaction?
5. CHANGES → TRANSFORMATIONS: Impact Beyond Knowledge Transfer
Effective public engagement creates lasting changes that ripple through individuals, communities, and institutions. These transformations extend far beyond simple knowledge transfer to fundamentally reshape relationships with science and scientific thinking.
Individual Level
  • STEM identity development ("I'm someone who does/understands science")
  • Career pathways inspired by experiences & interactions
  • Civic science literacy for informed decision-making
  • Scientists emerge as better, more empathetic communicators
Community Level
  • Increased trust in scientific institutions and processes
  • Local knowledge integrated into research design
  • Science-informed decision making becomes normalized
  • Networks of engaged citizens sustain momentum
Institutional Level
  • Culture shift around broader impacts as core mission
  • Sustainable engagement infrastructure beyond grants
  • Faculty and researcher professional development
  • Recruitment and retention pipelines strengthened
Duality in Action
These outcomes serve participants AND generate evidence for funders, institutional leadership, and continuous improvement. When designed well, assessment becomes part of the engagement story rather than an add-on burden.

Reflection Prompt: How is your research ecosystem different because of these relationships? What changes matter most to each partner? How do we measure transformation without reducing it to simple metrics?
The STEMsaic Difference: From Training to Implementation
Travis Tangen's Unique Expertise
What sets STEMsaic apart is the rare combination of deep Portal to the Public training expertise, institutional-scale implementation experience, and cross-domain perspective that bridges research, education, and community engagement.
Certified Portal to the Public Trainer
Part of Institute for Learning Innovation national network of trainers, bringing evidence-based methods refined over decades of research and practice.
past Director of Wisconsin Idea STEM Fellows
Led (and co-led) UW-Madison's signature public engagement program from 2013-2023, building sustainable infrastructure at institutional scale.
200+ Researchers Trained
Extensive experience training researchers across all STEM disciplines in effective public engagement strategies and communication techniques.
Award-Winning Educator & Public Engagement with Science Advocate
Creative classroom and public engagement design and implementation experience understanding how learners engage with scientific concepts and develop STEM identity.
Curriculum Design Research Expertise at UW-Madison & National Networks
Academic rigor in curriculum design and evaluation methodology, grounded in learning science research.
Cross-Domain Perspective
Unique vantage point as scientist, educator, tech transfer, entrepreneur, and broader impacts specialist—seeing connections across sectors.
What This Means for Partners
Proven Methods
Grounded in learning science research and decades of participation research—not guesswork or trendy approaches.
Institutional Scale Experience
Direct experience implementing programs university-wide, understanding bureaucracy, budgets, and sustainability challenges.
Dual-Purpose Design
Engagement activities simultaneously serve participants and generate meaningful assessment data—efficiency without compromise.
Story + Mosaic Integration
Portal to the Public principles become accessible and actionable within broader partnership design frameworks.
Capacity Building
Not one-off training events—sustainable infrastructure that outlasts individual champions and grant cycles.
How STEMsaic Supports Portal to the Public Implementation
STEMsaic offers tailored support for different types of partners, recognizing that research teams, institutions, community organizations, and funders each bring unique needs and assets to science engagement. Our approach adapts Portal to the Public principles to fit your specific context and goals.
For Research Teams & Faculty
  • Broader impacts design using Portal to the Public principles that actually work
  • Scientist communication training that builds confidence and skills
  • Activity design for dual-purpose efficiency—serve multiple goals simultaneously
  • Connection to institutional and community partners who share your values
  • Grant proposal support that reviewers recognize as substantive
For Institutions (Universities, Museums, Science Centers)
  • Program development consultation from initial concept through implementation
  • Train-the-trainer programs for staff to build internal capacity
  • Infrastructure design for sustained programs beyond single grants
  • Assessment frameworks aligned with Portal to the Public research principles
  • Strategic planning for scaling engagement across departments or sites
For Community Organizations
  • Partnership design with research institutions that honors your mission
  • Capacity building for hosting scientists and facilitating public programs
  • Co-creation of responsive programming that serves your community
  • Documentation approaches that demonstrate impact without excessive burden
  • Navigation of academic systems and expectations as equal partners
For Funders & Policy Makers
  • Evidence-based engagement models with demonstrated outcomes
  • Scalable frameworks that adapt across contexts and communities
  • Assessment protocols that honor participation principles while generating data
  • Examples of successful multi-objective partnerships from the field
  • Advice on funding mechanisms that support sustainable engagement

All STEMsaic support integrates Portal to the Public principles within the Story + Mosaic framework, ensuring that engagement design serves multiple stakeholders while maintaining scientific integrity and community respect.
Ready to Design Meaningful Science Engagement?
Portal to the Public principles work best when integrated into intentional partnership design from the start—not added as an afterthought to satisfy a grant requirement. Let's design engagement that matters to everyone involved.
Start with Story + Mosaic Framework
Map Tensions & Goals
Identify what brings each partner to the table and how their objectives can coexist productively.
Identify Characters & Assets
Recognize the unique strengths each person brings beyond their formal role—hidden connections, personal stories, community ties.
Design Multi-Objective Activities
Create engagement opportunities that serve multiple goals simultaneously with dual-purpose efficiency.
Build Sustainable Infrastructure
Establish systems and support that keep relationships growing beyond individual enthusiasm or grant funding.
Document Growing Stories
Capture transformation moments and ripple effects that demonstrate impact in human terms.
Connect with STEMsaic
📬 Newsletter
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📋 Resources
Access free tools including the Impact Identity worksheet and partnership storyboarding templates to get started with intentional design.
🎯 Team Agenda Coaching
8-module series includes dedicated public engagement design modules within the broader partnership framework—comprehensive support for complex projects.
🤝 Custom Consultation
Partnership design support for complex multi-institutional collaborations, tailored to your specific context, constraints, and opportunities.