Get Started With Outreach

A key part of the scientific process is communication of results. This is key for a number of reasons. First, it allows the greater community to enjoy the benefits of your results. Secondly, it allows other scientists to critically analyse your result and to reproduce it - a critical component of good science. For us, a third reason lies in the promotion of scientific literacy among the general population. Citizen scientists are often the most enthusiastic and successful evangelists of science around. They (you) can talk in a language that everyone understands and their (your) love of science becomes contagious. In the modern age, knowledge of science is key to making good, informed decisions in everyday life such as choosing a healthy food, planning the approrpiate plants for a garden, understanding a recent medical diagnosis, choosing which view to support on a piece of scientific legislation, etc.

We plan to post a number of tutorials here about how to perform good outreach. They will include tutorials on giving talks, writing articles for newsletters, talking to friends and family, making podcasts, YouTube videos, etc. A first session on education and public outreach (EPO) will be held at the first workshop and its video will be placed online. A second session will be held at the 2nd workshop in September, 2010.