Pioneering Pathways For Audience Engagement With Science On A Sphere

Abstract

In order for our society to internalize climate change knowledge, the public must be present and engaged. Science On a Sphere (SOS) serves as one of NOAA's primary avenues for public outreach, with more than 30 million people seeing SOS every year at 123 sites around the world. Independent evaluations of SOS sites show that active facilitation of SOS presentations by docents increases audience participation and learning. To remain at the forefront of climate change education and outreach, SOS sites are developing new content and pathways for audience engagement. Three new themed SOS presentations (live programs) were created and demonstrated to varied audiences, discussing often glossed over concepts and incorporating interactive elements. Examples include a mock debate to learn experientially about international climate negotiations and an estimation game to clarify and quantify the audience's understanding of scientific uncertainty. A webinar was facilitated to inform SOS sites and educators about the newly available live programs and the benefits of interactive elements in SOS presentations.