Megan Watzke

Creating Public Science With the From Earth to the Universe Project

The authors propose formalizing an entity for the sciences and science communication that is akin to public art in the humanities: public science. Public science might be able to play a role in enhancing and supporting society’s relationship with science by embedding science content into everyday experiences. The authors examine one project and its potential impact in public science. From Earth to the Universe has placed astronomy images in “nontraditional” science communication venues such as parks and airports. From Earth to the Universe could serve as a model for a type of public science, an attempt to make science accessible to nonexperts in public spaces.

Bringing the universe to the street. A preliminary look at informal learning implications for a large-scale non-traditional science outreach project

“From Earth to the Universe” (FETTU) is a collection of astronomical images that showcase some of the most popular, current views of our Universe. The images, representing the wide variety of astronomical objects known to exist, have so far been exhibited in about 500 locations throughout the world as part of the International Year of Astronomy. In the United States, over 40 FETTU exhibits have occurred in 25 states in such locations as libraries, airports, nature centers, parks and college campuses. Based on preliminary evaluations currently underway, this project – a large-scale, worldwide astronomy outreach in non-traditional locations – has unique opportunities and implications for informal science learning. We present some early findings from the observational section of the exhibit’s formal evaluation in five selected locations in the U.S. and U.K., including emphasis on inter-organizational networking, visitor attention and participant make-up as well as generative aspects of the exhibit.

Examining perceptions of astronomy images across mobile platforms

Modern society has led many people to become consumers of data unlike previous generations. How this shift in the way information is communicated and received - including in areas of science - and affects perception and comprehension is still an open question. This study examined one aspect of this digital age: perceptions of astronomical images and their labels, on mobile platforms. Participants were n = 2183 respondents to an online survey, and two focus groups (n = 12 astrophysicists; n = 11 lay public). Online participants were randomly assigned to 1 of 12 images, and compared two label formats. Focus groups compared mobile devices and label formats. Results indicated that the size and quality of the images on the mobile devices affected label comprehension and engagement. The question label format was significantly preferred to the fun fact. Results are discussed in terms of effective science communication using technology.