Science Trust Project Ambassadors

The Science Trust Project is a member-driven public engagement program hosted by the American Physical Society with the aim of strengthening relationships between scientists and society so they are built on trust, responsibility, and connection to humanity. We equip scientists with research-based communication skills necessary to develop meaningful, trusting relationships with and/or within various publics. Our approach emphasizes connection building over correction, and sustained engagement grounded in humility, curiosity, empathy, and respect for evidence. We seek to embody a growth mindset and embrace community-led change, and to create a community of advocates who are resilient and adaptable to building trust in science in a rapidly changing world.

The ambassador program will prepare you to train people in your local science network in science trust skills.

Deadline

Spots are limited. Apply by Nov. 23, 2026.

Program duration

The program will run from January 2027 through December 2027, with biweekly (twice-a-month) meetings January through June. The bi-weekly meetings will run every other Tuesday at 2-3 p.m. ET, from January 26 through June 22. We will skip the week of April 13.

Additional monthly meetings will be available on an optional basis beyond June 2027 to participants wanting to brainstorm, collaborate, and get feedback as they prepare and implement their Science Trust event.

Program eligibility

Scientists (including science students) who are passionate about growing their public engagement skills and supporting their local colleagues in building trusting relationships with the public, bringing science into closer conversation with society, are eligible to participate. APS membership is not required to apply. If accepted into the program, you are expected to become a member.

Note, you will need a computer to be able to participate fully in the experience; phones and tablets will be insufficient. Your internet setup will need to be capable of running and using Zoom, the Google suite of products (such as Google Docs, Google Slides, and Google Sheets), and Slack.

Program expectations

Ambassadors are expected to:

• Attend a two-day, February 2027 kickoff (in person or hybrid), to get to know your fellow ambassadors, and create a strong foundation for a cohort support system.
• Prepare for, attend, and engage actively in the 1-hour virtual cohort meetings and 1.5-hour virtual introduction meeting, biweekly from January 26, 2027 through June 22, 2027. There will be curated learning enrichment opportunities between sessions. These should take one hour or less to complete.
• Engage and contribute posts on the STP Slack channel. Share resources you find, questions you are pondering, and nuggets of wisdom.
• By the end of 2027, co-design, facilitate, and reflect on an in-person or virtual Science Trust training/workshop that is developed for your local science colleagues (e.g. lab group, students, department). Workshop materials will be collected for the STP Resource Repository.
• Provide feedback on the program via feedback surveys and focus group discussions.
• Create a brief capstone presentation to share with the next ambassador cohort (which may be synchronously presented at the 2028 retreat or via pre-recorded video)
• Virtual attendance at the monthly public engagement community hours throughout 2027 is highly recommended, but not required.

Benefits to ambassadors

This program will provide ambassadors:

• Training on skills that promote trustworthy connections between science and society with a focus on practice and implementation.
• Science Trust Project workshop materials, which Ambassadors will adapt for their local context.
• Recognition with a digital badge awarded via Credly and publicity via APS communication channels.
• Honorarium to recognize effort in leading an STP training that ambassador customizes for their local science community. Upon successful completion of the program, ambassadors will receive a $1,500 honorarium.
• Networking with your cohort and broader STP and APS communities. Previous STP participants have shared how meaningful it is to get to know others who are passionate about building trust in science!
• Travel support to attend in-person program kick-off in February.

Program learning objectives

By the end of the program:

1. Ambassadors will understand and apply the Science Trust approach of prioritizing connection over correction in various engagement settings.
2. Ambassadors will co-develop and practice effective facilitation and relational skills, including navigating tensions or challenging conversations.
3. Ambassadors will refine and apply STP skills in peer and community relationships in online and in-person STP settings.
4. Ambassadors will learn how to co-design and deliver a training to equip their scientist colleagues with a connection mindset and skills supporting engagement with various publics in a humble, curious, and honest way.
5. Ambassadors will explore structured reflection practice to document, evaluate, and iterate on their own thought processes and learning as it relates to building science trust.

Additional considerations

• We are currently reliant on spoken and written English, and our existing materials are in English. We welcome ambassadors to translate our materials, but the ambassadors will have to bring the necessary language fluency to do so.
• Our team is operating from US time zones. Meetings are expected to be at 2pm on Tuesdays Eastern US time. We recognize that this time may be late for people in the Eastern hemisphere.

Contact

If you have questions, please email the APS Public Engagement team.