Communicating science is just as important as learning about science. There is no point in learning something and being unable to share it with others. This is why it is absolutely necessary for scientists to be able to communicate their findings to the general public. There’s too many reasons as to why communication is important. One of them, as mentioned by Alan I. Leshner, is the fact that “Public understanding of science not only affects people’s ability to appreciate and make full use of the products of science, it also contributes to the extent of support for scientific research.” If scientists were unable to explain exactly how their research was beneficial, then there would never be any support for their research. It may sound silly because it’s so obvious, but it’s really something to think about. It’s already hard enough to understand scientific articles and papers if you have no experience with science or the issue/topic that was being discussed. Scientists have their own sort of vocabulary that’s perfectly fine when used when in their own circle of scientists, but the general audience might have no clue what words such as “transgenic,” “lac operon,” or “viscous” mean. It’s important for people that aren’t scientists (even though we previously discussed how anyone can be considered a scientist) to understand the basic gist of a specific scientific idea or concept, especially if it’s affecting them in some shape or form. For example, as mentioned in the Framing Science article, “with its successive assessment reports summarizing the scientific literature, the United Nations’ Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change has steadily increased its confidence that human-induced greenhouse gas emissions are causing global warming.” Global warming is a huge issue in our world today, and it’s imperative that people are able to understand how and why this is happening, so that they can know how to approach the problem. Global warming is only one of many problems today that are rooted in science, so successfully being able to communicate science is definitely a must for scientists today.

Chapter 9 to me felt like the chapter that we most discussed in class as a general theme. The fact that learning takes place outside of the classroom over half of a person’s life was something that we as a class always mentioned. This idea of informal science learning being the most prevalent type of learning is rooted deeply in chapter 9 and it focuses on learning outside of the classroom and outside of the museums. This chapter talks about field trips and other visits that can peak children’s interests and get them into the scientific topic at hand. The Bioblitz trip was a great example of a scientific trip that helped to peak interest in students interested in nature, botany, and wildlife in general. It also gave, through the use of an experienced guide, important information about the biodiversity of central park.
This chapter also goes into how technology is now being interconnected with science learning and how the growing use of technological devices, such as cellphones, can be used in a beneficial way to learn more about certain science topics. Nowadays most information does not have to be meticulously searched through textbooks but can be easily google’d and hundreds of papers regarding the scientific information will be readily available. Technology has gone so far as to come up with an app called iNaturalist which lets users post up information regarding their scientific findings and lets other science learners input their knowledge and share it with the original user. This greatly improves the science learning experience and is definitely a fun way to learn. Science and technology are more interwoven than one can imagine and the gap between the two is only getting smaller as the advancement of technology allows scientists to be communicating between each other faster and more effectively.

These four articles focus on the communication of science learning to communities that are not rooted in science. Communicating science in a way that attracts the general public of interested learners is one of the most important aspects of science learning because an important discovery or an interesting science topic is worthless when the results and findings are not communicated properly within as many communities as possible. The communication between scientists in the same field is also very important because it allows for feedback and collaboration between scientific projects and more information from the scientific community that was unknown.
The best way to communicate science is by firstly peaking interest and by speaking in terms that the public can understand. For example, our group project is focused on GMO foods and the pros and cons of putting GMO’s(genetically modified organisms) into foods and the bioethics of genetically engineering any organism in the first place. We presented our information to a group of high school students who had some knowledge of biology but did not fully understand the mechanism of genetic engineering. In order to communicating the science information and help them learn and understand effectively, we had to use basic terms and communicate at a lower scientific level than we would if presenting to a panel of biotechnologists.
A target audience is an important to consider when trying to communicate science and captivating interest also plays a vital role for how much the learners are going to learn about the topic.

I enjoyed reading Chapter 9 of Surrounded by Science mainly because I could easily relate to the variety of ways informal science was being spread. I’ve been constantly learning about science through both informal and formal experiences all my life, so I was pretty much agreeing with almost everything in this chapter. The cute little paragraph about fish and the ocean in the beginning of the chapter caught my attention and made me want to continue reading the chapter (a perfect example of Strand 1). I thought it was great how the Liberty Science Center was using cell phones to teach the museum visitor population about the exhibits they saw. Cell phones are being looked down upon recently because they limit social interaction since most people tend to be attached to their cell phones like it’s their second appendix. However, it was reassuring to read that cell phones are also being used for educational and interactive purposes. It made me think of the iNaturalist app we were told to download during the BioBlitz, and how the fact that nearly everyone had an iPhone turned out to be pretty useful!

After reading about the Mystery of the X-Fish story, I automatically thought about our visit to the Poison exhibit at the the Museum of Natural History. After watching a presentation about the story of a man who committed a crime by poisoning another man (I think it might have been his enemy), we were told to move further into the exhibit and look at different scenarios where something had happened and it was our job to figure out what item was responsible for the crime. It was the same exact thing as the X-fish exhibit because both exhibits required solving different problems through observations as well as making educated guesses based on those observations to effectively solve the mystery at hand. I think that’s an excellent way to learn because you’re not only taking in information from the environment, you’re also making your own rational decisions based on what you observed and learning how to think in situations where you need to work out a way to solve a given problem.

It’s often said that learning shouldn’t stop at the classroom – and that’s where informal science steps in. Chapter 9 discussed how we can extend the learning experience beyond informal science settings, beyond museums and exhibits. Computers and cellphones improve the learning experience, connecting visitors to apps and websites designed to enhance the exhibit. I found this especially interesting as this shows the increasing relevance of augmented reality. Augmented reality refers to “live, direct or indirect, view of a physical, real-world environment whose elements are augmented (or supplemented) by computer-generated sensory input such as sound, video, graphics or GPS data” (Wikipedia). In an informal science learning context, this means that someone can look at an object of interest and access important information about it as they’re observing.

This can also mean informal science participants can give live feedback and results if they’re participating in a study. In a present context, we can see this already happening in exhibits. Visitors are sometimes to asked to scan QC codes and see something relevant to the display. Augmented reality is the next step in that engagement process. I’m reminded of how certain students were also given Google Glass during BioBlitz. They used it to take pictures of the species they were supposed to observe. Ostensibly, in the near future, they’ll be able to seamlessly look at those species and cross-reference them with known species. This should make the process of discovering new species far easier. I’m excited to see how Google Glass and other augmented reality interfaces will influence informal science learning in the future.

Something that stuck out to me in the reading was the idea that school was meant for imparting knowledge while informal science learning places a greater interest on interest, emotion, and engagement. I think that this shouldn’t the case. Formal education should be able imparting knowledge, but also about encouraging interest, emotion and engagement.

I work in a school in the Lower East Side with a third grade class, and they do a lot of experiments and hands-on work throughout the day. The school’s philosophy is “teach to play,” meaning it emphasizes learning through fun activities. A couple times a week, kids have a period called “project time” in which they can work on a project related to something that piqued their interest during the week or during their various units. It’s really interesting to watch them start their own activities and come up with ideas to synthesize information. Some of the students even go into the classroom library to look for more books to read so that they can gain more information. The unit they’re on is immigration into the united states during the late 1800’s and early 1900’s. A lot of kids chose to make replicas of Ellis Island during their project time and some chose to read more about immigration in order to make informational posters. One girl even came in with a tenement model she had made at home for fun on her own time.

I think including some room for freedom to pursue and engage with interests during the school day is necessary. When kids get the chance to express themselves or learn for themselves, they become a lot more excited to be in school because they know that the education is for them.

I also enjoyed reading about collaboration between informal and formal science institutions. If schools continue to be very regimented in their teaching, it’s important for kids to have a less formal outlet to learn. I hope that in the future, more schools choose to partner with informal science learning groups to encourage kids to get involved.

Ilanit Zada

Science and Technology in NYC

Professor Adams

12-8-13

Chapter nine in Surrounded by Science discusses the ways in which science learning can be extended beyond the confines of the classroom or the environment in which it is learned and used in other contexts. There were several examples that were given to accomplish this task, while simultaneously making the learning more accessible to people, through the use of cell phones and other devices. This includes blogs, and in the case of the Exploratorium, “a virtual world that offers visitors a different kind of science experience” (164). I felt that this chapter was the perfect one to end off the semester and wrap up the different ideas discussed by emphasizing the importance of extending science learning beyond the classroom and encouraging active engagement.

Throughout the semester, we have been doing projects to investigate this idea of science learning, sparking an interest, and the importance of interactive exhibits. For me personally, I have found from the everyday science project that an interest in science can really be sparked from any kind of environment (some of which people may not even realize influences them); there were people that had an interest in science sparked from their favorite TV show, or hobby, while for others, it was simply something they stumbled upon and found to be worthy of further investigations. In the citizen science project, I found that the most important thing in sparking an interest in the children was an interactive exhibit. Children were more likely to walk up to an exhibit and enjoy for a longer amount of time when it required active participation on their part. These observations, along with the material covered in the textbook, makes us realize that the best way to teach science is by constantly exposing our children and students to the different forms of media (that could facilitate science learning), reminding them to keep an open mind, and making exhibits in informal science settings more interactive for the children.

This chapter focuses on the relationship between formal and informal science learning, and also highlights the growing connection between technology and informal learning spaces. Science learning is an ongoing experience and whether classified into categories such as informal or formal, there are still many ways in which the two work hand-in-hand. Informal learning spaces have expanded vastly to include many different experiences, and as technology has advanced, it is become increasingly easier to stay connected using computers and mobile devices. From researching more information online, browsing through museum websites at home, or even using cell phones as part of a museum exhibit, modern-day technology has made science learning even more accessible to the general public. For example, the Liberty Science Center in New Jersey developed the program “Science Now, Science Everywhere,” which allows visitors to use their cell phones to call and receive information about the exhibit they are viewing.

Many formal learning institutions have been trying to integrate informal science spaces into the science learning experience. Schools have been organizing field trips to aquariums and museums in an effort to further spark interest in the topic they are studying.  And for an informal learning experience to truly be meaningful, there should be some prior knowledge on the topic and also time for reflection after the event. This maintained interest in the topic courtesy of the informal learning experience will be the key to actually benefiting from the event. Connecting these two methods of study is essential for capitalizing on the benefits of each.

In Macaulay, we have used the iPhone app iNaturalist to input the findings we gathered during the BioBlitz, which itself was an informal learning experience. The ability to share scientific information with our iPhones and easily be able to identify the species we observed with this app was very important in enhancing our learning experiences. This app was created by students in the UC Berkeley School of Information, which itself is a formal institution, and is now being used by hobbyists and students alike. This example shows the dynamic connection between these two fronts of learning and emphasizes the important role of technology in the way we learn about the world.