innovative leader, collaborator, facilitator & advocate for social impact
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Consulting for Impact
At SciDesigns Communication, we’re dedicated to implementing innovative solutions that drive social impact.
Our Services
At SciDesigns Communication, we specialize in empowering organizations and leaders to make a lasting impact. We are deeply committed to supporting at-risk and underserved youth and families through tailored programming. Our specialized services include:
1. Youth-Centric Collaborative STEM Initiatives: Leading multi-million dollar projects that engage communities and youth in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education. We design bespoke programs for at-risk and underserved youth, integrating their interests, cultures, and communities. These initiatives aim to elevate youth through meaningful human connections and role models.
2. Strategic Leadership in Grant Management and Partnership Development: Spearheading collective impact grant-funded projects by guiding the development of work plans, budgets, metrics, and evaluation while fostering partnerships across sectors. This structured approach to collaboration brings together diverse organizations and stakeholders to work toward a common goal, emphasizing shared measurement, continuous communication, and mutually reinforcing activities to ensure all partners are aligned in their efforts for lasting social change.
3. Training and Capacity Building: Providing training sessions and facilitation for organizations and individuals to enhance their skills in project management, collaboration, and community engagement, empowering them to create impactful educational experiences and promote social mobility.
Explore Our Social Impact Initiatives
At SciDesigns Communication, we’re proud to have collaborated with a diverse range of organizations, each with a unique vision for positive change. Our portfolio is a testament to our commitment to leading with intention and creating lasting impact. Here are just a few of our featured collaborations:
Missoula Food Bank and Community Center: With the help of community co-design, what was originally imagined as a meal site transformed into a family learning center – a place where community members can come together for nourishment, learning, and discovery. We had the privilege of co-designing this innovative project with the Missoula Food Bank and Community Center.
Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes: We guided tribal elders in co-designing a health sciences research program for their youth, infused with traditional ecological knowledge. This project serves as a bridge between generations and a celebration of heritage.
City of Missoula: In partnership with the City of Missoula, we collaborated with community members from both Missoula and Flathead Nation to create a health sciences hub within the Missoula Public Library. This hub includes a DNA Playground, UM Living Lab, and a high school research program, all designed to benefit our entire community.
And Many More: Our diverse range of projects spans across nonprofit organizations, educational institutions, and government agencies. We’re dedicated to breaking down barriers and facilitating cross-sector collaborations to amplify social impact.
Our work speaks for itself, demonstrating our unwavering commitment to fostering positive change. Each project is a reflection of our passion for leading with intention and making the world a better place.
Ready to make impact and transform your community? We invite you to get in touch with us. We’re here to listen, guide, and empower you to co-create a more equitable, just, and enjoyable world.
About Amanda
I help organizations co-create with their communities to design and implement educational spaces + experiences around transformative changes for their community.
Hello. My name is Amanda and I am the owner of SciDesigns Communication.
All of the work that I do is grounded in the question often posed by my mentor Holly Truitt, “What is the change we seek to create?”
I am passionate about creating spaces that feel welcoming to multiple cultures and communities — a space that feels more like a community gathering space with friends but also functions as a way for people to access the resources they and their family need. I love to design ways to break down access barriers for all community members and go beyond an organization’s walls to meet community members in spaces where they already gather.
My journey began as a research scientist where I participated in outreach events for an after school biomedical research program for middle school students. A co-worker created a spark for me telling me “Hey, you’re really good at this.” I researched “scientist outreach” and landed a staff scientist position at a small science center. I got to wear many hats from project managing NIH grants to sweeping the floor. It was here under the mentorship of Holly Truitt, CEO of Holly Truitt Consulting, that I built my informal STEAM education toolkit and embarked on a journey of co-creation and co-designing with community members to be able to break down access barriers to create transformative changes.
How does one create transformative change?
From exhibits to face to face programming, I lead experiences co-designed with communities that meet the learner where they are and go in the direction they desire. My work is steeped in learning from prototypes tested by community members of all ages and backgrounds. Through this co-creation process, depth and ownership blooms.
I love to network and connect with new people. In my consulting role, I meet communities from all over the world. Hearing their language and learning about their culture brings me such joy and humility. I also love to learn about new topics and themes all the time. I love to facilitate and lead people down their own paths towards co-creation and change.
In my free time, I enjoy spending time with family and friends, mountain biking, reading young adult books, downhill and xc skiing, and hanging outside during the gorgeous Montana summers. I’m starting to dabble in wood working and making my yard more native bee friendly.
Comments from Project Evaluations
Nationally funded projects necessitate thorough evaluation by third-party external reviewers who engage with project participants and community members. Here, you’ll find comments from both reviewers and community members interviewed during my leadership and implementation of various projects.
It is noteworthy and rare to see the full spectrum of youth, pre-K through college-aged students, interacting with authentic science, science research, scientists, and one another in a museum setting on a daily basis.
I think one of the benefits is I really felt I was listened to, and that what I had to say was important.
One of our girls had a lot of anxiety, severe ADHD. I noticed toward the ends of the year, her attention was more focused and she had more self-confidence. And another student that is shy and quiet was more vocal and a lot more willing to try and do new things.
I finally have these kids back; many were on the verge of dropping out and now they are talking about furthering their education past high school.
The Brain Lab is an engaging and inviting place for visitors. The staff has created and continually expanded a set of high-quality, interactive lab activities ...that are adaptable by staff to accommodate the range of visitor ages to the museum, and a range in length of visit to the Brain Lab--so that visitors can readily engage in something that piques their interests, and in activities that are developmentally appropriate.
EVERYONE is welcome - I so enjoy how kind and inclusive the staff is @ empower place helping littles by remembering names, engaging in appropriate tones and discourse.
They take part in [science] activities even as teens!
The project team includes Principal Investigator Holly Truitt (City of Missoula) owner of Holly Truitt Consulting, Co-Investigator Dr. Rachel Severson (University of Montana), Co-Investigator William Swaney (former tribal educator and educational design for Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes), and Project Manager and Staff Scientist, Dr. Amanda Duley (City of Missoula) owner of SciDesigns Communication. Their co-creation process gives voice to often marginalized and underserved communities and allows projects to gain community acceptance from the outset. Of, for, and by the community, the LINK has engaged over 300 local youth, tribal members, persons with disabilities, artists, and scientists to design the health sciences hub and programming.
Missoula Public Library home of the health science hub.
Co-designing for Place DNA to include local tribe’s tule tipi.
Kids co-design for DNA Playground at Missoula Public Library.
Elk ribs climber for DNA Playground.
Climate educational event with community partners at UM Living Lab.
Co-designed DNA climber at Missoula Public Library.
Healthy choices and perspective taking activity developed for UM Living Lab.
Dr. Severson doing a research study with child participant.
Youth Outreach Mountain Biking Committee
Led by MTB Missoula, Missoula’s Mountain Bike Advocacy Group, the Youth Outreach Mountain Biking Committee is a collaboration between the City of Missoula’s Parks and Recreation, MT Alpha western MT’s women mountain biking advocacy group, and Free Cycles sustainable community bicycle shop. This committee is committed to breaking down access barriers to mountain biking and access to trails for Missoula’s underserved youth.
Led by ED John Stegmaier with chairs Kris Litz and Dr. Amanda Duley of SciDesigns Communication, the collaboration is creating a youth mountain bike library to offer a seasonal mountain bike rental for low-income families. The bike library rental will be supported with community and family events on bike maintenance, safety, and “Take a Kid Mountain Biking” events at local trail heads 2-3 times a year. Participants in our current “Take a Kid Mountain Biking” events include students from two of Missoula’s Title I schools Lowell and Hawthorn Elementary Schools as well as All Nations Health Center’s Project Venture program.
Lowell Students on Kim Williams Trail.
Lowell and Hawthorne students riding on Pattee Creek trails.
Taking the path less traveled through nature.
Tricycle provided for kids that don’t know how to ride a bike.
Lolo Watershed Group Educational Outreach
SciDesigns Communication is proud to be part of the Lolo Watershed Group‘s mission to promote the health of Lolo Creek. Together, we emphasize education, coordination, and stakeholder collaboration to ensure the conservation of this vital watershed.
Over the past three years, SciDesigns Communication has collaborated with hydrologists from the National Forest Service to create engaging classroom and field trip curriculum. Our aim is to provide meaningful educational experiences for the students of Lolo’s one-room schoolhouse, Woodman School. Not only do we create the curriculum, but we also take a hands-on approach. SciDesigns Communication leads each engagement event, ensuring that the educational experience is enriching and impactful.
Spring collection of invertebrates indicative of a healthy stream.
Woodman School 4-8th graders identifying invertebrate species.
Lolo Watershed Group stream ecologist teaching Woodman students about the creek.
Lolo Watershed Group and NSF hydrologist teaching Woodman students about the creek.
Mipnunum k̓ itki·kȼiǂ was co-designed to advance Health Science Education and Career Pathways for Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribal youth. Mipnunum k̓ itki·kȼiǂlinks the Salish and Kootenai words for: figure out and succeed in understanding. Approved by Tribal Council, co-created with tribal leaders and youth and rich with native STEM and cultural role models, the 15-week project allowed over 30 tribal students to research and experiment at the intersection of health science and traditional knowledge.
The project team includes Principal Investigator Holly Truitt (City of Missoula) owner of Holly Truitt Consulting, Co-Investigator William Swaney (former tribal educator and educational design for Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes), and Project Manager and Staff Scientist, Dr. Amanda Duley (City of Missoula) owner of SciDesigns Communication. Using our nationally awarded co-design model, our project team empowers communities to take the lead in guiding the design and implementation of projects. Together, we work collaboratively to achieve our shared goals and make a meaningful impact.
Co-designing with the Flathead Nation’s native community members.
Created a local indigenous story collection for Missoula Public Library.
Leading virtual class with native students.
Tribal elder speaking with youth about today’s challenges to the tribe’s health.
Salish language and culture professor teaching student how to make cordage at National Bison Range.
Students measuring blood pressure before and after participating in traditional ecological knowledge activities.
Project team member asking elders and students what healthy mind, body, and spirit look like for their tribe.
Students and elders gathered around the fire at the National Bison Range to discuss what health means for the tribe.
Inspiring Hamilton and Corvallis’s Next Generation about STEM and Career Pathways: a Collective Impact Effort
The University of Montana spectrUM Discovery Area, its Bitterroot advisory group, and K-12 schools co-created role model experiences that engaged K-12 students with local educational and career pathways. Dr. Amanda Duley of SciDesigns Communication was charged with leading professional development on youth engagement and science communciation for the community’s role models.
Big Sky Brain Project
A collaboration between the University of Montana spectrUM Discovery Area and UM’s Center for Structural and Functional Neuroscience, this project created a model for engaging rural, tribal, and urban communities with neuroscience, higher education, and health careers.
1. Mobile “Brain” Exhibition: We created an innovative mobile exhibition that brings the wonders of the brain to communities far and wide, inspiring curiosity and learning.
2. spectrUM’s In-Museum BrainLab: At the spectrUM Discovery Area, we established an in-museum BrainLab, where visitors can explore the complexities of the brain through interactive experiences.
3. High-School Explainer Program: As part of the project, we launched a high-school Explainer program, empowering young minds to delve into the fascinating world of neuroscience.
Leadership and Implementation:
Dr. Amanda Duley of SciDesigns Communication led the design and implementation of the project’s educational outputs. Her expertise and passion drove the success of this initiative, making it a valuable resource for our communities.
Contact
Are you ready to make a difference and achieve significant social impact? We believe that social mobility and breaking down access barriers begin by designing solutions with the end user in mind and forging collaborations among organizations with the right strengths to accomplish your goals.
If you share our passion for big, transformative goals, let’s roll up our sleeves and work together to bring your vision to life.
Get in touch with us today and let’s embark on this journey of positive change together. Your dreams can become reality with the right partnership.
