Bulletin of the American Physical Society
APS April Meeting 2014
Volume 59, Number 5
Saturday–Tuesday, April 5–8, 2014; Savannah, Georgia
Session Y17: Invited Session: Popularizing Physics |
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Sponsoring Units: FPS Chair: Richard Wiener, Research Corporation for Science Advancement Room: 105-106 |
Tuesday, April 8, 2014 1:30PM - 2:06PM |
Y17.00001: Explaining Today's Physics Through History and Biography Invited Speaker: David Lindley Quantum computers, string theory, holographic universes--to the general audience, today's physics can be as mystifying as it is fascinating. But modern ideas evolved from an earlier phase of physics--Newtonian mechanics, simple cause and effect--that is in principle easier for the non-expert to grasp. I have found that writing about physics from a historical and biographical perspective is an effective way to convey modern thinking by explaining where it comes from--it is a way of carrying the reader from concepts that make intuitive sense to ideas that seem, on first encounter, utterly bizarre. Smuggling explanations into stories satisfies the reader's desire for narrative--bearing in mind that narrative can include the evolution of ideas as well as tales about intriguing and original people. [Preview Abstract] |
Tuesday, April 8, 2014 2:06PM - 2:42PM |
Y17.00002: Stealth Physics: Sneaking in Science Where People Least Expect It Invited Speaker: Diandra Leslie-Pelecky The majority of science outreach focuses on a small group of well-educated older people (still majority male) with an already existing interest in science. The dominant paradigm of ``you-come-to-us'' leaves out many more people than it brings in. Most people only become interested in science when it affects something they care about, whether that be their personal or economic health, or their recreational passions. My experiences writing and promoting \textit{The Physics of NASCAR} forced me to change my approach to science outreach in terms not only of how to do outreach, but also what impact I hope to have. There are 75 million NASCAR fans. Every fan wants to know one thing: Why isn't my driver winning? I'll share my experiences using television, radio and blogging to reach an oft-neglected group that is characterized by a certainty that they -- even if they wanted to -- are not capable of understanding science. This lack of self-efficacy is likely the biggest barrier scientists have to reaching the general public. My central thesis is that ``Science for All'' doesn't necessarily mean that scientists need to convince the public that what the scientists are doing is interesting. It means that scientists doing outreach need to learn how to engage the public with science that affects things the public already cares about. [Preview Abstract] |
Tuesday, April 8, 2014 2:42PM - 3:18PM |
Y17.00003: Everyone Loves Science Invited Speaker: Mats Selen Twenty years ago we started a small outreach program at the University of Illinois called ``The Physics Van,'' designed to show the fun of science to assemblies of kids at local elementary schools. Many hundreds of shows - and many hundreds of thousands of excited kids, teachers, and parents later - the program is a cornerstone of the department's outreach efforts. About fourteen years ago I stumbled into a one-time gig with the local CBS television station, which evolved into a weekly live science segment on their morning news show. Very popular with viewers across central Illinois, these science segments now include a colleague from the Department of Chemistry and cover a wide range of topics. The totally unexpected success of both has led me to ponder why these seemingly hapless efforts should have grown to be both successful and sustainable. The conclusions, I believe, are very good news for us all. [Preview Abstract] |
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