Session J17: Innovative Ideas for Engaging the Public

Meeting People Where They Are: Presence and Dialogue in Science Outreach

Science communication has seen a boom in the past several years, with many new channels for engagement focusing on outreach in informal settings, both virtual (such as on social media) and in-person (such as series of science talks in bars). While many of these efforts are popular and well-attended, they still also largely serve an audience that self-selects as being interested in science, center one-way communication (scientist-to-audience), and often fail to reach underserved communities who might also be interested in participating in a science-focused event. In this talk, I discuss work in developing programs that both literally and figuratively meet people where they are, taking science out of its usual venues, and centering dialogue and discussion.   

Harnessing Curiosity and Storytelling to Engage the Public

One of the hardest parts of public engagement is grabbing and holding people's interest. Kids are often seen as naturally curious but that curiosity doesn't drop off as they reach adulthood, it just gets buried a bit. To engage either kids or adults it helps to tap into that curiosity; answering their questions, and then answering questions they didn't know they had is key. This talk will focus on two different approaches to engaging people through natural curiosity; using comics and using movies. Good storytelling makes the reader curious as to what will become of the characters. How will it end? By creating a laser superhero and an engaging story readers are taken on an adventure and learn some science along the way. As people watch movies and TV they often find themselves wondering things, like, could there really be a 700ft tall ice wall? Could dragons fly? Was there room for Jack on the door? Could a reindeer really jump across a crevasse? Science can answer many of these questions in a way that makes people want to listen.   

Outreach outside the box or how to maximize your effort

The Syracuse University Saturday Morning High School Teacher workshops have been meeting regularly for more than 25 years. We meet on Saturday mornings, about once per month during the academic year. Our mailing list includes more than 100 teachers, and we have about 25 regular attendees. This brings up a great Fermi question. How many students have been impacted because of these meetings? Ok, so this is a simple one, but the answer is stunning nonetheless, especially when not too much of your time needs to be invested!\\ \\But what about those kids who never take HS physics? How do we reach them? Recently, I have been regularly appearing on a local morning television broadcast. This mechanism reaches a whole new audience. It's quite fun, and provides me with new experiences which to learn from.\\ \\I will discuss the manner in which both of these outreach opportunities happened, the time investment, and the potential impact on my community.