Science outreach

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Science outreach, also called Education and Public Outreach (EPO or E/PO) or simply Public outreach, is an umbrella term for a variety of activities by research institutes, universities, but also institutions such as science museums, aimed at promoting public awareness (and understanding) of science and making informal contributions to K-12 science education.

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[edit] Scope and history

While there have always been individual scientists interested in communicating their ideas to the public, science outreach has become more organized over the past years.

For example, the US space agency NASA now requires all of its projects to organize suitable outreach activities[citation needed]; there are now conferences on the subject, such as Communicating Astronomy to the Public , and there are organized efforts to put outreach on a more general institutional footing such as the Declaration on Communicating Astronomy to the Public.

An increasing number of projects has one or more dedicated outreach scientists (part-time or full-time), and there are specialized outreach providers such as the Education branch of the Space Science Institute in Boulder, Colorado and the education and public outreach group at Sonoma State University which offer to organize a project's outreach activities on a contractual basis.


In addition to outreach by research institutions, an important part of informal science education are outreach programs by institutions such as science museums or in the context of science festivals.

[edit] Examples of science outreach activities

Science outreach can take on a variety of forms.

[edit] Public talks/lectures/discussions

Probably the oldest form of science outreach, dating back at least as far as 1820s, when Michael Faraday organized the first of the Royal Institution's Christmas Lectures.[1]

Public talks can be part of an institution's lecture series, given in the context of a science festival, or in cooperation with a special interest group such as a local astronomy club.

Public presentations can have a variety of formats - from a straightforward lecture with or without experimental demonstrations to a guided format in the form of a live interview or a discussion with several participants and a moderator.

Less formal are initiatives such as Café Scientifique, in which a café or bar is the venue for regular meetings involving guest scientists talk about their work or take part in discussions with members of the public.

[edit] Visiting K-12 institutions

K-12 students and teachers are an important target group for science outreach. Activities include scientists visiting K-12 institutions giving talks for a larger or more restricted audience, discussions with students, or participations in events such as a school's career fair.

[edit] Workshops/schools for teachers and/or students

Inviting groups of selected K-12 students to a research institution for a workshop is another popular form of outreach event. Formats range from a one-day visit to more involved week-long events such as Perimeter Institute's International Summer School for Young Physicists (two-week-long programs for a total of a hundred Canadian and international students from grade 11).

Another effective way of outreach are workshops aimed at teachers - presenting results of modern science, as well as suitable ways for integrating them into existing curricula.

[edit] Supporting science fairs and similar events

Apart from organizing independent events, there is always the possibility to participate in existing projects that are aimed at promoting awareness of science. A notable examples are science fairs, in which working scientists can participate both as judges and as sponsors of particular projects

[edit] Astronomy Outreach

Public communication of astronomy provides an important link between the scientific astronomical community and society, giving visibility to scientific success stories and supporting both formal and informal science education. While the principal task of an astronomer is to further our knowledge of the Universe, disseminating this new information to a wider audience than the scientific community is becoming increasingly important. This is the main task of public astronomy communication — to bring astronomy to society.

The next few years will be extremely important for astronomy communication and education. The International Year of Astronomy 2009 will serve as a unique platform to inform the public about the latest discoveries in astronomy as well as to emphasize the essential role of astronomy in science education. However, as the astronomy outreach community expands globally, it becomes increasingly important to establish a community of science communication experts.


[edit] Online outreach

The World Wide Web is one of the most powerful science outreach instruments, and many institutes have developed web-based outreach projects, providing general information about the science involved, interactive features such as online games, and teacher's kits to facilitate integration of science content into the classroom.

Examples for outreach sites:

Another possibility for online outreach is participation in larger projects that make science information available to the general puclic, such as Wikipedia or Citizendium.

[edit] Awards

There are a number of awards honoring commitment to science outreach. Prominent examples are

There are also a number of prizes for outreach work concerning specific subjects, such as

[edit] See also

[edit] External links

[edit] References

  1. ^ The RI Christmas Lectures (Royal Institution Website).