Bridging the Campus and Community Divide
The Nebraska Institute of Great Plains operates on a fundamental belief that impactful scholarship must engage with and be accessible to the public it aims to serve. The Community Outreach and Education (COE) division is the engine of this commitment, designing programs that translate complex research into actionable knowledge, foster dialogue, and inspire the next generation of stewards for the region. Their work ensures the Institute is not an ivory tower but a woven part of the social and cultural fabric of Nebraska and the Great Plains.
Flagship Public Programs
A cornerstone of public engagement is the Great Plains Speaker Series, held monthly in the Institute's auditorium and live-streamed to rural libraries across the state. These events feature Institute fellows, visiting scholars, farmers, artists, and tribal leaders discussing topics ranging from groundwater policy to plains literature. Each talk is followed by a robust Q&A, fostering a genuine two-way exchange. Another popular program is "Prairie Perspectives", a suite of day-long workshops for adults on topics like native plant gardening, interpreting historical photographs, and understanding local climate data.
K-12 Education and Teacher Training
The COE division places a major emphasis on youth education. Their "Plains Explorers" curriculum, developed in partnership with master teachers, provides standards-aligned lesson plans and hands-on activity kits for grades 4-12, covering ecology, history, and geography. The Institute also hosts professional development institutes for teachers, giving them direct access to researchers and resources. A highlight for students is the annual Great Plains Youth Summit, where high schoolers from across the region present their own research projects on local issues and work with Institute mentors.
Collaborative Projects and Citizen Science
Outreach often takes the form of collaborative research. The Community Weather Network equips volunteers with simple monitoring stations to collect hyper-local precipitation and temperature data, feeding into larger climate models. The Oral History Corps trains community members to conduct and transcribe interviews, expanding the archives' reach into every county. Perhaps the most visible project is "Restore Your Acre," a program that provides technical guidance, seed mixes, and volunteer labor to help schools, churches, and municipalities convert unused lawn space into demonstrative prairie patches.
Measuring Impact and Building Relationships
The success of outreach is measured not just in attendance numbers, but in sustained relationships and tangible outcomes. The division tracks how many teachers adopt the curriculum, how many community-led conservation projects are initiated, and how public policy discussions incorporate research presented in their forums. The work requires cultural humility, patience, and a willingness to listen as much as to teach. By consistently showing up, honoring local knowledge, and making resources genuinely useful, the Nebraska Institute of Great Plains has built a deep reservoir of trust and partnership with the communities it studies, ensuring its work remains grounded, relevant, and supported by the people of the plains themselves.