INCREASED PUBLIC SUPPORT AND PLANETARY GEOLOGY LITERACY THROUGH INFORMAL SCIENCE EDUCATION: LESSONS FROM 30 YEARS OF MUSEUM AND SCIENCE CENTER EDUCATION AND EXHIBITS
Museums, science centers, nature centers, visitors centers, and libraries successfully provide this scientific understanding by acting as the link between the science or scientist and public. These facilities provide informal (outside of the formal classroom) science education to a wide and diverse audience. They are perceived by their community as trusted local sources for reliable science information, accessible and non-threatening, serving the entire community, preK through Senior Citizen, including underrepresented groups. These facilities have a flexibility of approach in reaching the public that is not commonly found in formal education, and a graphics/display expertise that allows them to present complicated science in easy-to-understand exhibits.
Research on learning in museums/science centers shows that visitors are self-selected and self-directed. They spend minutes, not hours, at a given exhibit so the science must be easy to understand. Most learning takes place in family groups so exhibits must be able to educate adults and children. Most are repeat visitors or life-long learners; they want updated information. The museum/science center advantage is in object-based and experiential learning; for example, seeing the “real thing” such as a lunar sample, a full-scale rover replica, an historic spacecraft, or a research telescope.
Three decades of lessons learned: (1) emphasize a local connection or comparison to allow the public to feel connected, proud and involved; (2) link to a well-publicized, newsworthy event to draw maximum audience; (3) expand participation by partnering with other science education providers, local universities and school districts; (4) create unique programs for the community but leverage ideas from already existing resources; (5) use collaborations of scientists, educators, exhibit designers, fabricators, and artists to design and create exhibits; (6) use informal education formative and summative evaluations to design exhibits and programs to support multiple learning styles.