Engaging the Public With Science

        Getting involved in the community is a very rewarding experience that everyone should participate in every once in a while. Throughout the semester, we participated in many different service learning activities. As a class, we made games and other activities for the Archie Carnival. It was really nice to interact with the kids playing the game and to see that they enjoyed playing it. 

Archie: Myth Or Fact?

        We watched a movie about global warming in climate change and how it was affecting different countries around the world. It was an eye opener to me as I had no clue just how much damage was being done just by climate change. Many natural disasters have caused many people to be relocated from their homes that they have known all their lives. It is devastating to those who have been affected by these disasters. Another activity that the class was involved in was helping set up the Earth Display in the Watauga Public Library. It was cool to see the library as I had no idea there was one or where it was. 

Our Class at the Watauga Public Library

        For my own service learning hours, I helped get things set up for a high school class that were coming to visit and learn about more about geology. I also helped paint fossils which was really cool. It was fun to get creative and to interpret what you think the fossil would look like. I enjoyed getting involved and helping out. In the future, I would like to get more involved in other service learning activities. I enjoy working with kids so getting involved in more things like that would be fun. 

        Scientists and science enthusiasts can educate their community about the nature of science by a variety of ways. They can host informational sessions throughout their community and post flyers or ads online broadcasting the time or place the session will be at. Also, being more active through the media could gain more attention to the cause. More people use online resources to access their information in modern society, so posting things this way could be helpful in spreading the word. It is important for correct information about science to be easily accessible and available for those who may not understand it or know much about science. 

Helping People Understand Science

    It is really important for people to understand science in today's world. Science isn't something that is going away or can be brushed off. It is in everything and anything you do in daily life. Without many scientific innovations, we would not have a lot of the things we have today. Most people don't realize that you do use science everyday even when you are not a scientist. It took science to create telephones, electricity, etc. Besides using science in your daily life, it is also important to understand where we came from and how the world works. Having knowledge of how plants survive and what ecosystems are is important for everyone to know. Educating others about science is definitely important.  

    Science can be easily explained to different audiences by a variety of ways. YouTube videos that explain certain scientific topics in a fun way can be very engaging for a younger or older audience. The video linked below is the well known Bill Nye explaining evolution with emojis. Using emojis appeals to a younger audience and they get more information about evolution in a fun way. Taking a trip to a museum with friends and getting to look at the different things there would be a cool thing to do. You get to spend time with your friends and learn some new things about history and science without having to sit in a classroom and listen. You can get involved and walk around the exhibits. 
Bill Nye Video 

    Our game was called Archie: Myth or Fact? It was a card game where you had to guess whether the statement on the card was a myth or a fact. The more you got right, the more cards you kept. Whoever had the most cards in the end, won the game.The objective of the game was to help others gain information about Archie in a fun way. The only thing that I would improve on the game would be to lower the difficulty of some of the cards, but all in all it worked out really well. The kids that played the game responded really well to it and seemed to enjoy it when they played it.