Fun educational and artistic teaching tools for science outreach

Abstract

Abstract. The aim of scientific dissemination is to spread interest and knowledge of scientific issues by trying to reach people of all ages and social backgrounds. Simplifying, without trivializing, scientific concepts and making them attractive to the general public is therefore essential to achieve the previous objectives. For this purpose, it can be useful for scientists to work in close collaboration with artists, implementing new tools that can positively influence the emotional sphere and capture the attention of the people involved. Playful educational activity and visual language play a key role in this process, to convey interest and facilitate learning. An example of this approach are the educational laboratories structured as group games, in which great importance is given both to practical activities and to the transmission of concepts through their visualization in the form of images. Over the last 8 years, the Istituto Nazionale di Geofisica e Vulcanologia (National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology, INGV), the Istituto di Scienze Marine del Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche (Institute of Marine Sciences of the National Research Council, CNR-ISMAR) and the Historical Oceanography Society (HOS) have collaborated in the organization of science dissemination events involving students from schools of different levels participating in educational experiences based on games, characterized by an essentially visual approach to the concepts presented. In this work, we would like to give a brief overview of these educational tools, retracing the choices made while ideating them, thanks mainly to the close collaboration with artists and illustrators.

GC Insights: Enhancing inclusive engagement with the geosciences through art–science collaborations

“…The importance of mutual trust and respect in building these relationships has been reflected in other art-geoscience collaborations (Risner et al, 2019), allowing for the greater appreciation of other disci-plines (Marlton and Robson, 2020). Significantly, interviews with the artist and artist-scientist revealed cautions against the oversimplification of science for communication purposes, emphasising the importance of taking time to foster collaborations based on a genuine understanding of the research, similarly highlighted by Locritani et al (2020).…”

“…Art-geoscience projects may also capacitate audiences to "experience" landscapes and geographic concepts that they have not been exposed to (Gates, 2017). This has significant implications for inclusive outreach, as empowering viewers to (virtually or physically) interact with subjects allows for the individual interpretation of information, instead of acting as a recipient (Stewart and Lewis, 2017;Mould, 2019;Locritani et al, 2020). Emotional engagement with previously impalpable concepts is important in shifting public perceptions and responses to environmental change (Schneider and Simon, 2014;Lee, 2021).…”

GC Insights: Enhancing inclusive engagement with the geosciences through art-science collaborations

“…There is a need for science communication to transition from lecturing 'matters of fact' to co-developing narratives for 'matters of concern' (Stewart and Lewis, 2017). Art can be a medium through which individuals connect with otherwise abstract social and ecological changes, in a manner that is engaging and without trivialising the content (Locritani et al, 2020). Art-science may therefore be a powerful tool for building trust in otherwise intangible scientific concepts and spurring discourse around socially relevant environmental science (Mach et al, 2021).…”

Editorial: Geoscience communication – Planning to make it publishable

“…Of research articles published in GC since mid-2018, roughly half are activity-led, commonly framed as evaluations of a communications activity. Activities include an ephemeral sculpture (Lancaster, 2020), toolkits for science outreach (Locritani et al, 2020), serious games (Skinner, 2020), and ozone monitoring exercises for use in tertiary and higher education (Ramirez-Gonzalez et al, 2020). In addition to evaluations of how much more an audience understands (i.e.…”