PUBLIC OUTREACH FOR EU-PROJECTS IN HELIOPHYSICS

HESPE –High Energy Solar Physics Data in Europe Third year mid-term meeting, Paris, July 9-10 2013

hanna.sathiapal(at)fhnw.ch

PUBLIC OUTREACH FOR EU-PROJECTS IN HELIOPHYSICS ________________________________________________

The goal: a public outreach programme that works for small and difficult to communicate research projects.

The strategy: developing a stock of flexible and compatible outreach resources module by module.

HESPE –High Energy Solar Physics Data in Europe Third year mid-term meeting, Paris, July 9-10 2013

hanna.sathiapal@fhnw.ch

PUBLIC OUTREACH FOR EU-PROJECTS IN HELIOPHYSICS ________________________________________________

The heliophysics outreach modules include a variety of communication formats suited for diverse audiences.

The module presented here is a mobile hands-on table top exhibit on solar science, developed in the context of the EU-FP7 projects HELIO and HESPE.

We used it, among others, for the EU-Open Doors in Brussels, May 4th 2013, a public event that attracted 10 000 visitors.

HESPE –High Energy Solar Physics Data in Europe Third year mid-term meeting, Paris, July 9-10 2013

hanna.sathiapal@fhnw.ch

PUBLIC OUTREACH FOR HESPE ________________________________________________

The goal of the exhibit unit is to provide an overview over current solar science and embed difficult-to-communicate science such as high-energy solar physics into a context that facilitates comprehension.

The focus of the exhibit unit lies on visitor-scientist interactions.

A constructivist approach to learning has been used. The underlying assumption is that people construct knowledge based on their previous knowledge and experiences by adding new parts they actively choose according to what makes sense to them.

HESPE –High Energy Solar Physics Data in Europe Third year mid-term meeting, Paris, July 9-10 2013

hanna.sathiapal@fhnw.ch

PUBLIC OUTREACH FOR HESPE at EU-Open Doors Brussels, May 4th 2013 ________________________________________________

Table top exhibit

Near real-time solar images

More educational materials

Solar data flipbook activity

PUBLIC OUTREACH FOR HESPE Hands-on table top exhibit of current solar science __________________________________________________ The table top exhibit consists of: •! Sun, earth, space weather •! Space- and earth-based solar observatories •! Data-boxes

The data in the boxes come from: •!Kanzelhoehe Observatory (Sunspot drawings) •!RHESSI (spectrogram) •!GOES (x-ray flux) •!HINODE (soft x-ray) •!SDO (AIA 304) •!STEREO (EUVI 196) •!TRACE (171A) •!SOHO (Lasco II) •!Auroras (amateur photos) •!Voyagers (particles)

The data represent the following contents: 1.! The most spectacular images (wow-images) 2.! A solar event by all missions (Aug 4th, 2011,

broadest possible range of data) 3.! The 11-years solar cycle

•! one typical image per year •! same dates for all missions

Hanna Sathiapal

PUBLIC OUTREACH FOR HESPE The visitors

Hanna Sathiapal

•! all ages •! diverse experiences, interests and backgrounds •! families!

!!Criteria for choosing images: to provide many different links for diverse people to connect

PUBLIC OUTREACH FOR HESPE Engaging visitors by choosing some of the data so as to provide many links for personal connections and to trigger discussions.

Spectacular and intuitively readable

Beautiful - just like art Unexpected sights Problems – solutions?

Personal connection - I could have seen that myself

Something went wrong Something is strange An activity that always works: watching 3D images

PUBLIC OUTREACH FOR HESPE Choosing data: not only ‚pretty images‘. Science is not always spectacular but requires serious studies and hard work.

Multi-wavelength images help explaining x-ray heliophysics.

Have visitors see x-ray data even if they don’t understand all of it. It is part of science, and science is complicated.

PUBLIC OUTREACH FOR HESPE Visitor-scientist interactions: Scientists tend to attract visitors similar to themselves. In order to serve a diverse public it takes diverse scientists.

PUBLIC OUTREACH FOR HESPE Visitor-scientist interaction: It is as much about listening that about explaining.

PUBLIC OUTREACH Flipbooks from solar data

Currently, three flipbooks are available for download at www.fingertip.ch -! Sunspots -! Solar eruptions -! Solar storms

PUBLIC OUTREACH FOR SOLAR SCIENCE more activities