Session G10: Invited Session: Physics for the Public: Advice From the Pros

6 Things Scientists Can Learn from Science Journalists

When you talk about your research, do you feel like you're talking to yourself? Have ever accidentally left a lay person more confused than they were before they met you? Does your left eye go twitchy every time a journalist calls? Communicating science is scary. Fortunately, the same lessons that turn cringe-worthy journalism into smart science reporting can help you do a better job of communicating your own work--whether directly to the public, or to journalists, themselves. Don't freak out. Don't give up. Instead, come to this presentation.   

Explaining Physics in a Minute (Or Two)

It's usually assumed that youtube is just for kittens, babies, and music videos. However, youtube is also one of the highest-traffic sites on the internet and it turns out it's actually a darn good place to teach people about physics! We'll start with the story and analysis of how the video series Minutephysics grew from a fun weekend project to one of the top channels on youtube, then discuss how media and technology (especially videos) can facilitate good (and bad) communication, and finally talk about how you can harness the power of the internet in your own physics outreach. Of course we'll watch a few cool videos along the way. As a primer, feel free to check out www.youtube.com/minutephysics (this abstract based on http://pirsa.org/11110110)   

Capturing Science in Action: From Exploring the Origin of the Universe to a Journey to the Ends of the Earth

The public, including aspiring young scientists, seldom gets a sense of what science really feels like as it is happening -- the doubts, the fears, the twists and turns, the joy of victory and the agony of defeat. Even if the science is still uncertain, insights of this type have both inspirational and historic value. This talk will explore this issue using two very different examples from the speaker's own experience: an attempt to develop a theory of the origin of the universe that challenges the conventional big bang picture and a geological expedition to one of the most remote places on the planet in search of the first natural quasicrystal.   

Science for the Public Through Collaboration and Humor

The transformation of all things media and information into a dynamic environment of user access has created what seems infinite possibilities to inform the public in many different ways - as well as seemingly infinite possibilities to confuse. This talk will describe a rather non-conventional collaboration between two different creative cultures and its significance to maintaining scientific accuracy and devising strategies important to audience engagement - among them humor. While focusing on the award-winning effort ``When Things Get Small'' created by University of California Television producer R. Wargo in collaboration with condensed matter physicist I.K. Schuller and actor Adam J. Smith, with both NSF and private support, the case study provides insight into a model and modes which can be used successfully by other scientists to engage the public in what they do.