Events

November 30, 2009
Education and Outreach Colloquium, Don Swenholt
In an interactive session, communications consultant Don Swenholt will review...

December 9, 2009
Education and Outreach Colloquium, Dan Shepherdson
The presentation will focus on students¹ construction of mental models as a...

January 13, 2010
Education and Outreach Colloquium, Dennis Schatz
Off Site Access This talk will be Webcast...

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Need a guest speaker from NASA? Interested in hosting a NASA Earth Science presentation? Here is who to contact within Goddard's Earth/Sun Exploration Division... (coming soon)

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Latest Documents

The Case for Climate Literacy in the 21st Century
The advent of the Internet and evolutionary advances in geospatial data browsers, virtual globes, and immersive visualization displays have significantly increased the potential for a more climate science literate public. In the same time, space-based Earth-observing agencies like NASA and NOAA have geometrically increased the volume of data they collect everyday, over the entire globe. Fortunately, Moore's Law held true during that same time span so that the processing capacity of modern computers enabled scientists to collect, process, and share these data with increasing efficiency and turn-around time. In just the last two decades the combination of these technologies has substantially increased public access to cutting-edge climate science data and information. But has there been a corresponding increase in public climate science literacy? And, if so, has there also been a corresponding increase in positive public attitudes and opinions about climate science research? In this paper we review some current research about the public's awareness, understanding, and opinions about current climate research. We review some initiatives that our agencies have taken to help improve climate science literacy. Our own research, and others', suggests it is possible to improve climate science literacy and positive attitudes about modern climate research, given the use of particular methods of communication. We conclude with a call for collaborators to work with NASA and NOAA in the assembly of a "synergetic" new climate science communications and education infrastructure, as articulated by the late Buckminster Fuller, in which the whole works together much more effectively than the sum of the individual parts. We argue that the inherent difficulty of improving public climate science literacy, much less addressing the problems that stem from illiteracy and negative attitudes toward the science, render the problem too great for any one agency or effort to tackle alone. Attacking the problem synergistically increases the potential for success while enriching all who are involved in the collaborative effort.

Kate Tobin's video from her talk entitled "Science Reporting -- A Journalist's Perspective"
This is Kate Tobin's video from her talk on Wednesday, October 11, 2006 (abstract). The DVD has been converted to MPG format. Please be advised that this file is large (20.5 MB) and a high-speed internet connection is highly recommended.

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.

The Glory of the Story: A Summary of Kendall Haven's Presentation at the May EPO Colloquium
On Wednesday May 3, Kendall Haven was the featured speaker at the monthly Education and Public Outreach Colloquium. Haven's presentation was entitled Voice of the Mind: The Amazing Power of Story... and What It Means to You; the full presentation is available here (PDF, 203 KB.)

The basic question Haven set out to answer was: Does the form and structure used for narrative presentation affect the way the reader/viewer understands the material presented, creates meaning, and retains the information (memory and recall), based on scientific information, concepts, and research presented. In short, the answer is a rather emphatic YES!

Voice of the Mind: The Amazing Power of Story (And What It Means to You)
Kendall Haven's presentation slides for his talk on May 3, 2006

Question
Does the form and structure of narrative presentation affect reader/viewer:
   - Understanding,
   - Ability to create meaning,
   - Retention (memory & recall)
From the scientific information, concepts, and research you describe?

Communicating Scientific Information Through Interactive Visualizations
Kristin Henry's presentation for April 12, 2006