Chapter 9 provides a summary of the multitude of ways that informal science and formal science are connected. It seeks to disbar the common notion that informal science programs are just places for children to socialize.

It first talks about the use of multimedia methods to teach science. It’s great to know that the technology coming out today is being put to good use and educating children. I can attest to this, because I remember being at the Sony Wonder Technology Lab, where there was an exhibit featuring projected colored rings of light around my feet on a platform with other people. This exhibit, the Interactive Floor, allowed me to get a good sense of how powerful motion sensing technology can be. Other people on the floor had rings around their feet too. If our rings collided, they merged and morphed colors. It opened my eyes to the possibilities that projection and motion sensing technologies can offer. Yes, it was a place to socialize as a kid, but at the same time I got to play around with technology and learn about what it can do.

The chapter makes an effort to merge informal science and formal science in a manner which is most conducive to learning. For field trips, the chapter discusses how it’s important to follow the steps of pre-trip organization, active participation in the museum, chaperone involvement in the activity, and reinforcement after the trip. I believe that this should become more widespread knowledge for educators, because I can remember how my field trips were offered as a reward or as a break from class rather than an educational experience complementary to the class. Regardless, I would still learn at the aquarium, or zoo, or museum. But upon our return to class, we would return to our normal curriculum which was completely unrelated to the field trips.

It’s wonderful to know that experimental combinations of science learning, such as MERITO, are being used to pioneer the path to better education.

Communicating science effectively is an important channel to widen, considering that the goal of science is to expand our knowledge of the world and benefit humanity. If this is truly the goal, then it would be immoral to reserve new scientific discoveries to an elite few group of researchers. I feel like it’s a good sign that scientific journals are now focusing on how best to communicate science rather than how best to improve the scientific method. It signifies that the the scientific method and peer-review process is well-perfected.

The first step to allow communication between scientists and the public is the removal of stereotypes that the public believes about scientists. Many people view scientists as an unhuman group which has no regard for morals or religion. An effort needs to be made to educate the public about the true intentions behind scientists’ work, and portray them as a diverse group of people from various backgrounds.

Even after stereotypes are removed, scientists must be trained to translate their work for the community. As Leshner describes in his article, many scientists are stubborn about this and complain that this isn’t part of their “job description.” That is why it’s important to teach new generation of scientists that it is part of their job description. Or we should at least make an attempt to find people who are qualified to to serve as mediators between researchers and the community, such as teachers. Thankfully, much is already underway in terms of designing a scientific method for communication. Nisbet and Mooney describe how it’s imperative to make new findings appear relevant to the communities they’re revealed to in order to spark interest in the public. Especially in older populations, these articles talk about how most people don’t care for science unless they feel as if it personally impacts them.

Finally, I believe it’s imperative to establish trust between scientists and the public. Much skepticism exists against scientific work among the public. Some of it can be linked to corruption within science, but much of it can also be connected to the fact that people choose a narrow set of sources when reading their news. Nisbet and Mooney call this the narrow “framework” from which people get their information. People who only read the Wall Street Journal, for example, only obtain information that leans toward republican arguments. The public also needs to be educated on where to find proper and neutral sources to access in order to receive the most honest information. It’s only when superfluous skepticism is eradicated that scientific discoveries can make a quick impact on society’s political and moral decisions.

Chapter 7 of Surrounded by Science introduces a new challenge to the development of museums that I haven’t thought of before: designing the museums to accommodate disabled people along with people from minority cultures. These are important factors that can’t be overlooked.

I believe it is important for institutions such as museums to be accessible for all people. When you think about the intrinsic moral rights that every human should have, you think of the right to have health care, the right to have food and shelter, and the right to have an education. Museums encompass the educational aspect. Therefore, it would be immoral to make museums exclusive to able-bodied, white, middle class citizens.

I’ve had personal experiences where cultural accommodations would’ve been helpful in a museum. I visited the Museum of Natural History with my Russian-speaking grandmother, who can speak conversational English very well, but lacks a knowledge of technical scientific terms, since all of her schooling took place in Ukraine. She’d stop by the various exhibits and observe the displays. She’d wonder why an animal looks a certain way. Frustrated, I’d tell her, “Read the description and you’d know!” I’d try to explain the caption, but with my limited Russian, it was difficult to translate technical scientific terms. Having a Russian docent or a translation of the text available would’ve helped enormously. Similarly, as we walked through the timeline walkway illustrating major cosmic events starting from the Big Bang and ending in modern Earth, my grandma was clueless about the purpose of the walkway.

I think it’s great that more efforts are being made to allow museums to be appreciated unanimously. The Vietnamese-themed and Native American-themed museums from the text work well to not only allow the content of museums to be more understandable by the cultures, but the themes also draw these people in. I felt pleased as I read about the creative exhibits designed for disabled people, such as the beads placed on a magnetic panel for making jewelry. This chapter shows how there are many factors in building a successful and universally accessible museum. You might have a very interactive, very colorful, accessible, and user-friendly museum. You might think you have all the proper elements in place. And then you realize that there are always more elements to be added. There is no end to improvement.

Jamaica Bay is a region rich in its cultural history. Because it exists on the outskirts of Brooklyn, it is often a forgotten crop of land. By simply looking at a satellite photo of the area, one can tell how it’s one of the only areas in New York that remains relatively untouched by urban landscaping. Therefore, it also acts as a buffer zone for extreme weather situations such as Hurricane Sandy. The marshes soak up water and act as solid ground to slow a hurricane’s path before it hits urban areas.

What the article on ethnographic history also reveals about the area is that its a vital area for immigrants, especially since it contains affordable housing. Studies over the past decades have shown how the area was home to many cultures, including various sects of Jews, HIndus, and now Caribbean and Latin American cultures. It’s interesting how an area can change so much, and attract such a diversity of culture. One of the major reasons is because the area is very natural, with much biodiversity, and is bordered by water. The study describes how water can be sacramental to many religions, including Hinduism.

In addition, the area is economical in terms of food! Many people fish in the area, and are able to sustain themselves and even make profits from what they catch. It’s unlikely to find such subsistence practices being performed in New York City, but this is one of the places where they can take place.

Jamaica Bay is not without its problems, though. Although the watershed’s population has increased, its average income has gone down. It will be interesting to watch how the area will proceed to develop over the future years.