NASA Documents

2/09/2005: Earth-Sun Exploration Division's Education & Public (E&PO) Outreach All-Hands Meeting
At the February 9, 2005, Earth-Sun Exploration Division's Education & Public (E&PO) Outreach All-Hands Meeting, David Herring gave an introductory overview presentation in which he set forth a vision for better aligning our efforts as a function of target audience. Two independent assessments--one by Herring and one by Harmonic International--concluded that, overall, NASA's E&PO efforts have generally suffered from a lack of effective coordination.

(File size: 5.1 MB)

American Perception of Space Exploration
In 2004, in concert with the Center for Cultural Studies and Analysis, Harmonics International prepared a white paper on what the American public knows and thinks about NASA. While the public knows very little about what precisely NASA does -- including Earth science in particular -- the public generally has a very positive view of NASA, which carries over from success of the Mercury and Apollo missions. Interestingly, the data show that the public supports NASA's role in "advancing knowledge" and "increasing understanding of Earth" ahead of "increasing understanding of the universe."

Brand Equity and Message Concept Development
Led by Robin-Marie Williams, in early 2004 Harmonic International (HI) conducted a thorough examination of the American public's knowledge and opinions about NASA. Williams' team gathered data from a multitude of sources, including conducting its own focus groups and surveys. The team tested the twelve benefits NASA claims it returns to the public and, among those benefits, four received approval ratings higher than "increase our understanding of the universe" (57%). They are: "advance knowledge" (67%), "benefit general aviation" (62%), "aid national security" (60%), and "increase our understanding of Earth" (58%). HI asserts that NASA's communications must better strive to explain what the agency does in ways that build a general knowledge base while eliciting positive emotional associations and reinforcing the public's very positive attitudes toward NASA.

Communicating the Vision -- Executive Summary Presented to the Presidential Commission
Led by Robin-Marie Williams, in early 2004 Harmonic International conducted a thorough examination of the American public's knowledge and opinions about NASA. Williams' team gathered data from a multitude of sources, including conducting its own focus groups and surveys. The team found that the NASA's "brand" is extremely strong and that the American public wants to believe in NASA. However, despite the fact that the public has a strong desire to know what NASA does, it knows very little about what the agency does nor the benefits that come from NASA's efforts. Harmonic International concludes that the problem is a lack of effective communication. (This presentation is a subset of a much more detailed presentation by HI, titled "Brand Equity and Message Concept Development," also available here in this archive.)

Design of Scientific Graphics - 21.3 MB
Robert Simmon (613.2, SSAI, GSFC) delivered an extremely informative talk on January 27, 2005, highlighting the principles of graphic design for presentation of scientific data. Topics: Alignment, Grouping, Contrast, Computer Peculiarities, Do No Harm, Scales and Annotations, Anomaly Palettes, and Tell a Story.

How to Influence Science and Space Policy
In March 2003, Professor Jon D. Miller, Northwestern University, gave a colloquium lecture at NASA GSFC about effective communications strategies for influencing science and space policy. In his talk, Miller defines science and space policy, elaborates on how they are formulated and characterizes the segment of the American public that is attentive to those issues. Miller lists the preferred sources where influencers of policy seek scientific information and the relative level of confidence they place in those sources. Interestingy, the Internet ranks slighly behind professional journals as the main source of information used by policy leaders. He concludes his talk with broad recommendations on what strategies to adopt in order to influence science and space policy.

NASA’s ESD Excellence in Outreach Workshop: Summary Report
On June 15-16, 2006, NASA's Earth Sciences Division (ESD) sponsored a 2-day "Excellence in Outreach Workshop." The purpose of the workshop was to provide a detailed qualitative review of the ESD's outreach programs and products. The design of this review was unique and experimental in nature. Two teams of senior science communications experts - four panelists on each team - were asked to find their own information about NASA's ESD, wherever they could think to look for it. Then they were to report back to NASA on where they looked, what they found, what they learned, what attitudes and opinions they formed, what they didn't find, and what recommendations to NASA they would make based upon the experience. One team was very well informed about NASA's ESD at the outset of the experiment and the other team was deliberately chosen because they knew little or nothing about the ESD before the experiment. Care was taken not to bias the "less-informed" group so that NASA would get the benefit of their fresh and initial impressions of our outreach programs and products. The agenda for the workshop, and all the panelists' presentations, can be found here.

Notes from Kendall Haven's Lecture at NASA GSFC
A research oceanographer turned author and master storyteller, Kendall Haven visited NASA GSFC in February 2004 to give a 2-day workshop aimed at helping us better tell NASA Earth science stories. (David Herring attended the workshop and took notes.) Haven stated that research shows if you want someone to believe your message, if you want them to remember it better and longer, if you want them to have positive associations with it, and if you want them to be better able to apply the new information they learn, readers/listeners are likelier to do all these things if the writer/speaker adheres to the architecture of a story. Stories create context, relevance, and empathy. Haven outlined the seven core elements of a story. On day 2, Herring dialogued with Haven about the constraints and issues NASA communicators face when attempting to informally educate the public about Earth science.

Space Policy Leaders and Science Policy Leaders in the United States
In 2004, NASA Headquarters asked Jon D. Miller, Northwestern U., to prepare and submit a white paper summarizing the attitudes, activities, and information needs of space policy leaders and science policy leaders in the United States. In this report, Miller points out that the formulation of science policy in the U.S. is the result solely of the interactions between decision makers at the federal level and groups of policy leaders.

The Communication of Space and Earth Science Information
On July 13, 2005, Professor Jon D. Miller, Northwestern U., presented "The Communication of Space and Earth Science Information to Policy-relevant Audiences" as part of the GSFC EPO Colloquium series. In his presentation, Miller outlined a strategy to enhance the scientific and ecological literacy of national policy leaders and policy-interested citizens in the United States.

Why it is Important to Effectively Communicate Technical Information, and Strategies for Doing So
As science and technology increasingly affect our everyday lives, the lay public's need to understand science, and its applications, also increases. Poor writing is an obstruction not only to lay readers, but to scientists in other fields as well. In 1995 Optics and Photonics News invited David Herring to submit an article about how to write effectively about science and technology. There are some recurring, easily recognizable symptoms of poor writing, but the underlying theme is failure to adapt the style and contents of text for intended readers. Consequently, lay readers perceive the subject as either too complex or irrelevant to their lives.

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