Reframe Science

So it also does bring curiosity back, as an adult. That gets beat out of kids. By the time they're in high school, they don't want to ask any questions [crosstalk] yeah. So, just bringing back that, or wonderings. I wonder what this is. I wonder what that is. And just having something that's cool that people maybe wonder about. For a lot of people they go their whole lives, or their whole adult lives, really not being curious, and not wondering. This is one of those small interactions, little small nuggets can really change the way that people perceive their world.

Critical thinking is, it's kind of like a muscle humans naturally have that atrophies. So one way that I do see that muscle being worked is I have, and it's very prominently displayed, a tardigrade shirt, "Live tiny. Die never." And so many times people are, "What is that?" And when I hear that, even if they're just walking by, I'll engage with them. I tell them, "Oh, it's a tardigrade or a water bear." And they're like, "Die never?" And I explain, "Oh, they're really resilient, you can do this, this, this, this." And this happens so much they go, "So what do we even do with them?" And I say, "Oh you know, we research them." They're like, "Oh, like for medicine?" If you're able to engage in a way that's prompting, then you're working out that critical thinking muscle. Even if it's a one minute interaction, I think that, that is really important.

it reminded me of looking at the Snapple cups. When you open Snapple and it's these little facts. It's like, "Oh." And sometimes I feel like I remember those things more because they were kind of out of place in my memory. So, it's like, "Oh." And even, we used to have candy that had the jokes in it, bongos or something like that Laffy Taffy. Yeah, yeah. It just seems like, "I get to go tell these jokes." It made me excited to know that one joke. So it's kind of like, I think, when you have that science fact, it may stick in people's minds more just, it's kind of the same thing as-it's out of place, so it kind of makes a different groove in your brain. Yeah. You're not reading it in a book, you're not on a science website. Yeah.

on the other hand also having it be legitimize as a form of research communication, if that makes sense. I get super excited, for example, when there's like big press conferences, when the image of the black hole came out. So we have the new image of the black hole on a bunch of jewelry when that image came out, one of the women at one of the press conferences was wearing a dress by one of the designers that we've worked with in the past. And now I've seen her even give more recent talks and she has a custom dress with the black hole image on it, by that same designer. And so that we weren't directly involved with, but we've supported that designer, given her images, helps connect her with other people for other projects.

So on one hand at the Grand Bazaar we wanted to blend in, we wanted to seem like a legit professional retail stand, which we are, but we are at the same time we hadn't really done it for the public before. But at the same time we sent you notice that we wanted to blend in and seem professional like that, at the same time we wanted to stand out, and be recognized as a little bit different. We definitely want to do engage people in conversation kind of whether or not we sold them things. And so it was a fine line that we were riding whether or not I really realized that at the time

a general feeling. The experience both that we shared in the preview of the event and the few hours at the event itself was a really positive experience. And when you're at something like the Greenway and it's a beautiful day and people. There was a young gentleman in the booth directly adjacent to The Science Boutique, I have his name written down somewhere. But the long and the short of it is his parents were from Boston, he was living in Florida, he came up with a new start up apparel company and he was selling sweatshirts and athletic pullovers with a specific message, it wasn't life is good, but something equally positive and optimistic. And he was just super exuberant and many of the people at the Greenway exhibit, there's something about a collection of entrepreneurs and artists and people that are passionate about their thing being there. And so one more reason why I think there's a good opportunity for science to be in that mix because in the right environment with all those elements there's already so much positivity. So people are predisposed, they want to be in a happy environment. They want to look at funny, quirky things and talk to people.

when you think about science retail, I guess this is a bit philosophical here, but it does get me thinking about, in terms of what it is of science, so to go back to this conversation I keep on trying to circle around, is that there's another element. When I do engagement with science, I've tried to cultivate engagement activities in which I explore the part of science that's about curiosity and about the unknown. And how the process, the nature of science, that's what I have found to be a thrilling source of engagement is to get people to consider what science is. The mystery of science. And there is a philosophical difference between that and other presentations of science as being like the chemical structure of something or the definition of something or a picture of something from science. It's a different type of what science is, but it gets to, it's very philosophical, but what is science and there are a lot of different ways to consider that and it's not just about the different disciplines, but it's also about what's the process of science. Not just what are the results or the discoveries, the outcomes of science research, but what is it in itself,

my background is pretty clear cut in the world of commerce and selling materials and I know in some areas in both academia and in art, selling and sales has a negative connotation. In many cases it's deserved, but in my mind if one of the goals is to sell science, maybe more figuratively than literally, but to create better engagement or more curiosity. Whether it's getting people to enroll in college programs or recognize the value in science or squash all this crazy no climate change discussion, ff people could just spell isotope, if I thought that would make a difference in the world I'd support it. But selling isn't bad, it's changing behavior, it's making an argument in a nonargumentative way of the value proposition of one thing versus another.

I was in a meeting where we realized that the stakeholders in our group, they didn't agree and when we were two years in and we just found out that some people thought that we needed hard numbers and we needed a pipeline and convert everyone to scientist like Rick was saying. And other people were like, "If I go to a music festival, I don't go in thinking I'm going to have to learn how to be a musician. I don't go to an art museum and I think, Oh no, I gotta be an artist." He's like, "It's only science educators who put all this pressure on themselves to raise scientists." And he was being a little bit facetious, but his point stuck with me. And so I think some of this tension about one-offs, short-term engagements, some of those matter, some of the most important events of our lives are one-offs. There are things that happened once.

So just to center community in this piece. I think there is a perception and I think it's important to know that Yale is "bad." I heard to both Dottie Green and then another mom kind of reflect on, I think another organizer reflects on New Haven's relationship with Yale and it came about not in thinking about Science Haven and their park there, they were just talking about this other community, about the upcoming mayoral election, about politics and really this idea of like, literally, which mayoral candidate is here for Yale, and which one is here for the community? So there is this tension that I know, Rick, you know, I know, I know, I know, I feel. I at least feel it when I go out into the community to do research or to engage in any way, but I say that to say there was still such a warm invitation towards Rick and his volunteers and the Science Haven space at this event. So I think that just speaks a lot to the relationship building. So I want to name both, that there is this tension with Yale, but what success looks like when you're intentional about building strong relationships.

I think the way that the Science Haven table operated, it was very fluid in terms of the space that it occupied and how the volunteers were like sitting on the floor with the kids and it was inviting, and it wasn't like just a bunch of scientists sitting behind the table making it seem like there was an awesome them and there was certainly a lot of interaction, a lot of moving around, a lot of getting comfortable with the kids, which was really cool to see. So I don't think that the table stuck out in any way, in terms of the theme and the overall atmosphere of the festival itself.

So one of the things we've noticed, for the people who may listen to this later, I work in North Carolina and I work on a statewide dispersed model of a science festival. I'm not even sure if we can actually be called a science festival, but we'd call ourselves that and Ben lets us do that. But we play a lot around with the space of bringing science content into non-science events and spaces and trying to build meaningful partnerships. So I was really curious to see this and how it played out. And one thing we've learned from our experience sometimes our presence can be a little bit jarring in that you're at for example, Northeastern North Carolina, there's something called The Potato Festival. And I thought there was some natural tie to sweet potatoes and there's no historic... They wanted to sell French fries. So they created this potato festival. So we hadn't done a lot of homework about what this event was. We just knew it was a big event. It's like a giant street carnival there's rides, there's vendors. And we're like, "Is it cool if we bring some science content?" So we had like three tenths of scientists come out to lead hands on activities. And we noticed right away that as people were walking up to it, it was just out of place. They were looking at it like a local realtor who's talking to them about how they can buy houses in the area and getting a business car. The next place is like a juice station. They can get a Turkey leg and then it's like, "Hey, do you want to learn about the exoskeletons of bugs?" And like, "What? Why do I want to do that?" So we learned that we needed to have some buffer stations or change the style of interactions because it felt out of place and it wasn't even customized to the event itself or to the people that would be at the event. There's one thing I would say that I do want to separate from the actual what was happening at these specific stations. But going along the route that Justin and I walked, and we walked the whole thing, it seemed like an entirely appropriate style of thing to happen at this big cycling event. So all the SciCycle stuff, the branding was on point, the fact that it was a place for people to hop off their bikes and do something hands-on or interact or look around, all seemed to fit really well with the overall vibe of the event itself, which is casual and informal and family friendly. So that's what I meant about how it was woven in. It didn't feel forced. It hit the right tone. And then some of the booths, the one that stood out that Justin and I, we've talked about a few times, there was one, a mechanical engineering group, a math group up near Hank Aaron Boulevard, I think was doing an activity that was right... The theme was about wheels and how important it is this things to be round. So like the activity itself was really appropriate for the style of event that the people who were attending it were expecting to see. So that's more what I meant about how well it's integrated into the overall event, this scavenger hunt felt. And I got to eat ice cream, which was good too at a science station.

I think one thing that really stuck with me, and specifically regarding the cosplay element of it, was going into the event, the big focus was trying to get, and hoping people would dress up as a scientist. And that was really the big driver behind that. But I think coming out of it, what really stuck with me, was not necessarily getting people to dress up as a scientist, but getting them to realize, what they do is science, and engineering. And that's, I think what really stuck with me, and this idea, that we can have an award for the best science cosplay, but maybe the more important thing, is giving out the actual process award.

thinking about the ways to engage with that audience. And so, like that was mentioning on the call, we had live music playing in our space for the first time, because that was a little bit more of a spectacle. And especially being next to the pro-wrestling ring, we needed something loud to drown out the bells, and the announcers, and everything, and just the natural yelling that happens in that environment. We just started mixing in some of those elements. Like the live music, to touch on the actual people that are at the convention. As opposed to treating it a mobile museum space, where we take the museum, and just set it up in the convention hall.

I have come to this place around informal learning, where the authority in informal learning, is the learner. They choose what to learn, when, how, it's all on them. And what we do, is provide opportunities. As you're describing Jemima, those planets, and whatever quick thing they said, and the seconds of exposure, it's what somebody makes of that, and connects that to their own interests, and their own learning ability. In a parade, it's crazy fast. And maybe the best thing, is it sparks some curiosity, and connects it to an aspiration, or something like that, which is cool. In the con thing, it was really interesting, because there was a lot of that quick opportunities. And then, there was this more in-depth stuff. But those environments are generally, and I think of exhibitions particularly, which is mostly my background, exhibitions are really crappy teachers. When they try to teach, they generally fail. However, there are incredible opportunities in which people can learn, but they learn on their own terms. And so what we provide, is an opportunity for people to connect to on their own terms. And I think, that's a big deal for this whole situated engagement thing. It's thinking about what opportunities would provide, for people to make their own hooks to things, and make sense out of their own lives by having some exposure to some new opportunities. But how it gets absorbed, and what gets made of it, is up to the individual, or the crowd that you're placing the opportunity in front of, or with.

An example of how this stuff fit in ways that I didn't expect, so there's a table there that's just NASA stickers and Europa Mission stickers, and I took a photo of this because I'm like, pardon my French, "Bullshit." A table of stickers and logos I thought was super underwhelming, and I was 100% wrong about that because I went back like two hours later and that table was ransacked. And this idea that science fandom could be in here and that merch could be this essential part of it, or schwag, was really driven home for me by that experience.

I would definitely not use the word inauthentic, is because I think that the Science In Vivo group, the planets were so joyful and sincere in their contribution, that I think people took that at face value, as like, "You're here, you're a part of it." It's already a given that you're a part of it because of your engagement, you're marching down the street with people. I think the one thing that was a little bit dissonant was that some of the groups marching were using more explicitly playful ways of marching, and our group was a little more serious. But to the extent that we were playful, I think it really worked. But I think that was potentially a little bit of a disconnect, but I think that sometimes that can work too, right? I think as long as you're sincere and you're engaging with people, people respond to that, and that's what I observed. So I think that what could make the engagement more successful would be to use more of the approaches to being playful that were already there, and to build on that, and just develop, that side of it. But I definitely didn't feel like it was outsiders inserting themselves,

if there is an element of confusion and understanding of process, people will shut down and they won't internalize it as a fault in themselves, versus a fault in the learning technique. And so there is an implicit message about, you just can't understand this, that is delivered when there's a concept that's not well explained. So I would say to find other ways or deeper ways that are quick to connect the concepts together, I think would make the whole experience more cohesive.

I guess another risk that I see potentially in a display of science that shows science as being about what is known about the world is that it doesn't communicate the sense of discovery. So I guess that's a completely different concern, but that science is a lot about trying to figure things out, right? So that if you're presenting science as, "Well, this is what we already know about the world. Are you with us?" And people are like, "Well, I didn't know that." They may feel like, "Well, no, I'm not with you because I didn't already know that." So I think that one possibility with the parade would be to do a little bit more to engage people in the idea that there's discovery involved and they're being invited to discover. And

There's just a risk that if the messaging was about what science is or the examples of science were not coming through, there's a risk that people might come away thinking, "Science is hard, science isn't for me. I don't get it. I feel excluded." So I would say that's a risk of this kind of quick engagement around science. I do not think that that happened with this group at all, but I think that's a risk of this kind of engagement. The intention of course is to reach out and invite people to be excited about science and to think, "This is something I can do." So I think that that is what was happening, but the risk is that the other message would be taken.

Everyone's saying it is a fast paced transient environment, so I don't think there's a lot of opportunity for deep learning in something like this. I think that the opportunities available here are kind of, let's start the conversation, let's show you who we are and what's possible, and then hopefully down the road we'll have a chance for a longer conversation,

Something else that our participation in DragonCon really enables, and that is not only the teaching of science content, but just the value of science and the love of science and the presence of science throughout the city. And so I think being at DragonCon gives us that stage to integrate science into the culture of Atlanta. And so because of the challenges that Jeff described, it's really difficult to teach science and have them come away learning something, but there are other opportunities that this kind of event presents to put science on the stage, within the context of our city, so that people can see that, "Yeah, it's here, and there are opportunities for me to learn. Maybe I'm not going to learn today, but I'm going to get excited about science learning opportunities in the city."

So there is a lot of fun interplay between the audience of the parade and the people in the parade, but it is really quick. It's lightning fast and, like I said, the biggest challenge for trying to do a parade entry of this kind is, what is the stuff that has a meaningful impact in such a really short amount of time? It's got to have that high impulse so to speak.

Occasionally you get quote-unquote, lucky, that something ahead of you maybe slows down, if there's a vehicle that has an issue and so everything stopped for a little bit. Sometimes you have those rare moments where you have a little bit more interaction with the crowd. The phrase that kept coming to mind during this project was drive-by science. You don't have time to stop and do stuff with it, and so in an organizational sense that was a huge challenge of, what are some demonstrations that have a very short time to observe that can be on the move and don't require electricity, and aren't going to be so cumbersome, but it's going to slow everything else down. So it presented an interesting problem. But in terms of the crowd reaction, the crowd had a great reaction to everything that we were doing, really everything that was going on in the parade. I think partly that's a reflection of the characteristic of DragonCon, a conference as a whole. Everybody at the conference, with obvious outliers here and there, but everybody at the conference was always very supportive of everybody else at the conference.

I do think one of the challenges for doing science in that setting, is that when you're a marching group you're moving pretty fast, and so what is it that you can communicate quickly as you're marching past people? That's a little bit of a challenge.

So, explicitly, what was there was St. Pete Science Festival, their website, and the date of the next festival, but there's a lot of implicit things happening. Again, support for the community is one of those big implicits because they're there. They're integrating into the theme of the event, and so that will automatically suggest effort, as does the presence of a decorated float, anyway. It can then be inferred that you spent money and time to be a part of that event, and that suggests that you care about what you're doing. I would also say that your theme did contribute to this implicit idea that science is fun: bouncy music, flashing lights, fog cannons, and things like that are fun. And, therefore, so are you. So science got to be told as fun. The St. Pete Science Festival, which is connected to that, therefore gets an implication of being fun. Yeah, so for me, those were the implicits.

it generated a lot of happiness, and that was good to see. Even in science-positive environments with science-positive audiences, the concept of science does not always spark joy, but it did here, and I think that that was really important.

it's a lovely, really family-friendly, really open, really welcoming environment. None of it felt oppressive. None of it felt ... Especially for a science festival that is geared towards children, none of it was overtly sexual or ... Yeah, it was a fun time for all, and I think Vaughan and I both agreed that certainly the way the float looked was very in keeping with the theme of pride and the parade itself. The interaction with the volunteers and the music was certainly ... Yeah, it was all well ... It fit well with the rest of the theme of pride. I would agree with all of that. It was a happy, convivial event. It was a happy, convivial float. People were on both sides. Audience and actors were thrilled to be there or at least quite openly seemed to be. So, yeah, it was very much in keeping within itself. Also, as Parmvir said, within the event.

it struck me is as important yet, again, is the idea of science being appropriate within its community. And that idea of that the representation of science and scientists at community events that are not related to science is still in and of itself a meaningful, important thing, because it is part of where it is.

We talked at some length, about the difficulty of communicating content in a parade, but what you can do is communicate presence. Or communicate, and this actually is a reflection back on the St. Petersburg Pride Parade, the sense of, "This is what a scientist looks like." Science is about doing, it's also about being, and being present at an event that already says something. But it's not probably a great venue for communicating content, but definitely lighting that spark for sure. And it is, the Dragon Con parade, was an incredibly diverse, and a very enthusiastic audience. It just totally blew me away.