SOLS graduate students are engaged in a variety of service and outreach programs. In 2005, graduate students developed an innovative approach to outreach by acting as science mentors to junior high students in downtown Phoenix, thus forming the group Graduate Partners in Science Education. This group has enjoyed many successes, most notably the recent success of the junior high student participants at the Arizona Science and Engineering Fair (AzSEF). Before the partnership, no student from that school had ever won a medal at AzSEF. However, during the past two years, over 40 students have medaled, including 10 gold medalists. Graduate students also participate in Ask A Biologist, a web-based organization that acts as a resource for K-12 students, allowing students to submit questions regarding biology and careers in biology, which are then answered by graduate student volunteers.
