Planets in a Room: an educational tool for Europlanet

Message from the Executive Director: Interview with Britta Voss and Kylla Marie Benes, ASLO 2016 Science Communication Interns

SummaryIn this talk, we will introduce FTP-Europlanet gUG, a not-for-profit organization established in Germany to support educational initiatives related to astronomy and planetary science. We will share experiences with setting up the company, describe current activities and give an update on future plans.BackgroundFTP-Europlanet is a “gemeinnützige Unternehmergesellschaft” (gUG), a non-profit entrepreneurial company founded with the aim of promoting scientific research and education, with a focus on astronomy.The charitable aims of the company are to support:The promotion of astronomy, planetary science and space exploration across Europe; The promotion of the educational and outreach activities of the Faulkes Telescope Project and Europlanet; Teacher training and continuous professional development for STEM educators; Innovative delivery of STEM subjects in schools through astronomy and planetary sciences; Public engagement and outreach in astronomy and planetary sciences; Development of research and education projects using robotic astronomy; Promotion of diverse, inclusive education in a sustainable way; The provision of media services to the astronomy and space community and press office support; Engagement with amateur astronomers. Incorporated in December 2020, FTP-Europlanet gUG grew out of a collaboration between Dr. Lothar Kurtze, an astronomy educator, alongside the Faulkes Telescope Project, a programme of the Dill Faulkes Educational Trust Ltd that offers schools free access to telescopes in the Las Cumbres Observatory global telescope network, and Europlanet’s outreach programme.Current activitiesFTP-Europlanet gUG is currently involved in two Erasmus+ projects:Clic-PoliT (Climate Action and Light Pollution Threat), led by Black Rock Observatory (Ireland), which runs from November 2021-October 2024. The project is working with upper primary and secondary schools to develop strategies to address energy consumption and light pollution and debate them with policymakers in a Students’ Parliament. StAnD (StudenTs As plaNetary Defenders), led by INAF (Italy), which runs from September 2023 – August 2026). StAnD is an ambitious space science education project to involve school children in the search for asteroids and meteorites. In addition, FTP-Europlanet gUG is currently involved in:Teacher training and creation of teaching materials in support of the Faulkes Telescope Project; Creation of materials for astronomy education and on-site technical support for organisations in Salzburg, including the VEGA Observatory, Haus der Natur and the Choros Concept GmbH; Astronomy-themed workshops in collaboration with the shipping company, Oceanwide Expeditions; Teacher training at the House of Astronomy in Heidelberg; Development and testing of observation programs together with schools in the Weinheim, Lampertheim, Münster, Salzburg and at other locations in Germany and Austria; Astronomical imagery for the project TerraVisaMusica. The company also has a close relationship with the Haus der Astronomie in Heidelberg.Future PlansThrough participation in Erasmus+ programmes, FTP-Europlanet has established a number of close collaborations with organisations involved in providing astronomy education across Europe. Collaborations with institutions like NUCLIO in Portugal, Ellinogermaniki Agogi in Greece, INAF in Turin, Italy, and BCO in Ireland exemplify our commitment to broadening educational outreach. Currently, the company is actively part of consortia that have submitted three further Erasmus+ bids, and along with partners, will continue to seek funding, expand resources and opportunities to develop astronomy and planetary-related resources and training for educators across Europe.In the long-term, FTP-Europlanet gUG will also support sustainability for outreach, education and media resources built up through the Europlanet 2024 Research Infrastructure (RI) project (and previous EU investment) by providing a sustainable platform for Europlanet to participate in future funding calls, such as Horizon Europe, and providing training services for the community.Europlanet 2024 RI has received funding from the European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No 871149.

STEP Forward is a partnership between two established programs that train postdoctoral fellows in science communication: one that focuses on formal communication within college classrooms, and another that focuses on informal science communication at Pacific Science Center, a science museum. By combining these programs, postdoctoral fellows developed broad and more cohesive science communication skills. Here, we describe the components of STEP Forward and report the participants’ experiences as captured by open-ended responses from surveys administered before, during, and after their training at the museum. We use content analysis to examine their perceptions of what they gained from the program. Participants indicated that they eagerly took part in public events at Pacific Science Center, gained confidence in speaking with the general public, and valued the opportunity to bring their scientific research to a broader audience. Collectively, these results indicate that STEP Forward has a positive impact on the postdocs, especially given that the postdoctoral stage is one at which scholars begin to explore different careers and skill sets. We conclude that the program is beneficial, noting that while it is currently novel, it is also a replicable and feasible model for holistic postdoctoral training and science outreach.

<p indent="0mm">Planetary science and space exploration are inherently interdependent, with advancements in both fields being essential to the progression of any nation aspiring to become a space power. Over the past two decades, China’s lunar and deep space exploration programs, as part of a major national strategic initiative, have achieved remarkable milestones. The successful implementation of the Chang’e lunar exploration missions and the first Mars exploration mission (Tianwen-1) has yielded an extensive array of critical remote sensing data and invaluable lunar materials. These achievements have significantly propelled the development of planetary science in China. Simultaneously, the rapid progress in China’s lunar and deep space exploration programs has posed higher demands on planetary science research. In response, Chinese institutions and universities have introduced dedicated planetary science curricula to train undergraduate and postgraduate students, thereby strengthening the talent pipeline needed to support the nation’s space exploration initiatives. As the “base” for funding basic research, the “incubator” for cultivating outstanding talents, the “source” of stimulating scientific breakthroughs, and the “platform” for fostering international collaboration, the National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC) plays a pivotal role in guiding and advancing basic research and talent development in planetary science. However, planetary science is a multidisciplinary field, and its subfields have historically been distributed across different disciplines of the NSFC, specifically within the Department of Earth Sciences and the Department of Mathematical and Physical Sciences. This fragmented structure may no longer meet the growing demand for specialized talent and scientific breakthroughs in planetary science, especially given the rapid pace of development in China’s lunar and deep space exploration programs. To address these challenges and better support the nation’s strategic goals in lunar and deep space exploration, the NSFC’s Department of Earth Sciences has consolidated relevant disciplinary fields of planetary science and established a new discipline: “D08 Lunar and Planetary Science”. This initiative reflects the multidisciplinary nature of planetary science and the expanding scope of Earth sciences into planetary research. This new discipline of D08 encompasses 11 second-level application codes, organized into three sections: Basic Research (D0801 Planetary Geology, D0802 Planetary Chemistry, D0803 Physics and Dynamics of Planetary Interiors, D0804 Planetary Space Physics, D0805 Planetary Atmosphere and Ocean, D0806 Astrobiology, and D0807 Planetary Remote Sensing and Geodesy), Supporting Technology (D0808 Planetary Exploration and Simulation), and Emerging Fields (D0809 Planet Formation and Evolution, D0810 Earth-Moon System, and D0811 Planetary Resources). The scope of this new discipline includes planets, dwarf planets, moons, planetary rings, and small celestial bodies in the solar system. The discipline of D08 aims to address key scientific questions such as the origin and evolution of the solar system, planetary habitability, and the search for extraterrestrial life, using a combination of <italic>in-situ</italic> and remote sensing observations, high-precision geochemical analyses, theoretical calculations, numerical modeling, laboratory simulations, and other advanced research techniques. The establishment of D08 marks a significant step in enhancing China’s capabilities in basic research and talent cultivation in lunar and planetary sciences. Through this initiative, NSFC seeks to bolster China’s international competitiveness and scientific influence, contributing to the nation’s ambitions of becoming both a global space power and a leader in science and technology.

&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;In recent years, the education and outreach teams in the Europlanet 2024 Research Infrastructure (RI) project, the Europlanet Society&amp;amp;#8217;s Outreach Working Group and the Europlanet Early Careers (EPEC) network have developed a number of resources to support teaching of science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics (STEAM) subjects. We have created, tested, and published hands-on planetary science activities, ready-to-use astrobiology lessons, science education illustrations, etc, and we have also worked in collaboration with partner institutions and networks to run activities. In 2020 and 2021, we co-organised an educational programme linked to the virtual Europlanet Science Congress (EPSC) called &amp;amp;#8216;EPSC Goes Live for Schools&amp;amp;#8217; in partnership with Lecturers Without Borders, Scientix and Frontiers.&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt; &amp;lt;p&amp;gt;We have now consolidated a database of all available resources and developed a plan for the successful and sustainable dissemination, use and improvement of these resources. This presentation will cover the strategy we have implemented.&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt; &amp;lt;p&amp;gt;On one hand, we will discuss the advantages and limitations of following a traditional top-down approach centred on using active communication channels in planetary science education. We have worked on creating a unified communication campaign that uses the diversity of topics tackled in order to guide users through our whole database of resources.&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt; &amp;lt;p&amp;gt;On the other hand, we will present the parallel bottom-up approach we have implemented, which focuses on building a supportive, inclusive and sustainable community around our resources. We will show the results of a consultation aimed at teachers and science communicators in order to understand their needs and identify gaps and bottlenecks in the planetary science education landscape at the European level. Based on this consultation, we are aiming to create a dynamic group of teachers, planetary scientists and science engagement practitioners who will work as users, content creators, peer-reviewers, translators of our activities, being a sustainable basis for the wide dissemination and access to our resources.&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt; &amp;lt;p&amp;gt;Finally, in order to learn from these approaches, we will present some preliminary results regarding the implementation of evaluation metrics throughout these steps.&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt; &amp;lt;p&amp;gt;Europlanet 2024 RI has received funding from the European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No 871149.&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;

Amateur astronomy of the Solar System is living a golden age with major contributions to modern planetary science. These contributions cover a wide spectrum of topics that range from the discovery of impacts in Jupiter [1-2], to the observation of stellar occultations by minor bodies [3-4], the characterization of unexpected high-atmospheric events in Mars [5], or the characterization of giant storms on Jupiter [6] and Saturn [7-8]. Besides these examples of high-profile publications, there is an increasing number of amateur contributions to dozens of studies of planetary atmospheres and countless contributions to the study of minor bodies. While we focus here in the role of amateur astronomy observations of planetary atmospheres, we also recognize the varied and healthy professional and amateur collaborations in other areas of solar system astronomy.The reasons behind this golden age lie in the two sides of the collaboration: On the side of amateur astronomers, many of them use very efficient detectors and advanced software tools, and they are highly connected at an international level. Thus, they provide high-quality observations on a regular basis to professional astronomers, or have strong analysis teams like the JUPOS team as an example (http://jupos.privat.t-online.de/index.htm). These frequent amateur observations provide essential monitoring of the temporal evolution of planetary atmospheres. On the other side, professional astronomers are aware of the potential of these observations and actively seek the collaboration of amateur astronomers and citizen scientists. A key case in this regard is NASA&amp;#8217;s Juno mission to the giant planet Jupiter, and its large-scale collaboration around the JunoCam instrument on the mission Juno website: https://www.missionjuno.swri.edu/. The mission has been recently extended until 2025 and details of the contribution of amateur observers to this new mission scenario are presented by Orton et al. in session ODAA5 in this meeting. Other examples of professionals seeking a global collaboration with amateurs are the various professional and amateur astronomy services and workshops organized by research projects like the Europlanet 2020 Research Infrastructure (2016-2019) and Europlanet 2024 Research Infrastructure (2020-2024).We anticipate that the trend of amateur astronomy playing an important role in providing additional data sets to space missions will continue to grow and we advocate for the early establishment of such collaborations.&amp;#160; We review some of the elements that have made the collaboration of amateur astronomers with the Juno mission so fruitful for both parties and how this collaboration has grown beyond Jupiter into enhanced collaborations in other fields through networking amateur astronomers and providing a successful example to other fields.We also discuss future ground-based high-resolution amateur observations of Solar System planets in support of future missions. These include the James Webb Space Telescope observations of planets (launch in October 2021), ESA&amp;#8217;s Jupiter Icy moons Explorer (JUICE, launching in 2022) and NASA&amp;#8217;s Europa Clipper missions to the Jupiter system in the early 2030s, the in situ exploration of Saturn&amp;#8217;s moon Titan by the Dragonfly mission (NASA) in 2034, the Envision mission to Venus (if selected by ESA), and possible future missions to the Icy Giants Uranus and Neptune. Each of these ambitious missions will benefit from the strong partnership between amateur and professional planetary scientists. The first in this line is the JWST observations of Giant planets to be conducted in 2022 (see Fletcher et al. in session OPS3 in this conference).Finally, we also show some professional and amateur networking elements developed under the umbrella of the Europlanet projects, including the recently launched Europlanet Telescope Network (https://bit.ly/2Br5LDt), and we present possible scenarios for future pro-am collaborations beyond the end of the Europlanet 2024 project.&amp;#160;AcknowledgementsPart of this research has been supported by Europlanet 2024 RI. Europlanet 2024 RI has received funding from the European Union&amp;#8217;s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No 871149.

First published in 1887 by Ludwik Lejzer Zamenhof, Esperanto is the most successful constructed language, with speakers all around the globe and even native speakers.The relationship between Esperanto and science starts very early: the scientific journal Internacia Scienca Revuo was created in 1904 and the International Esperantist Science Association (ISAE) was founded in 1907 (Wera Blanke, Scienca Revuo 206, 2006). Many publications and books about scientific topics have since been written or translated in Esperanto.&amp;#160;Esperanto has initially been envisioned as a lingua franca to be used in international communication, both in general and for scientific purposes. While English has since taken this role, there is still a desire to maintain and develop the scientific culture and the related terminology in Esperanto. Science outreach is one way to achieve this goal, and new projects have appeared in the last few years.Esperanto represents an interesting challenge for outreach : being a more neutral language, not related to a specific country or ethnic group, the community of speakers (albeit small) is by essence more international and more diverse than in national languages. This is an opportunity, but also comes with some difficulties.In this work, I&amp;#8217;ll discuss the advantages and obstacles of communicating science in Esperanto. I&amp;#8217;ll present various projects of science communication in Esperanto, with a focus on my personal experience with my YouTube channel D-ro Lo&amp;#265;jo, where I do videos about science and in particular about planetary science.

In obtaining a PhD, we are all trained to conduct and evaluate scientific research. However, a topic not often covered is scientific outreach. Here I discuss some of my own experiences in scientific outreach and how improving skills related in scientific communication can also reciprocally benefit research.

The practical occupation with astronomy has a manifold social impact. Like-minded people exchange experiences in astronomy clubs, they meet at star parties for jointly observing the sky or they take part in astronomy conventions to expand their knowledge. Some also go on astronomy vacations under dark skies at a guest observatory or in an astronomy camp. Even astronomical trips to major observatories or sun eclipses have been offered by specialized companies. The spread of astronomical information and news through the internet via newsgroups, mailing lists and chat rooms is in the meantime mandatory. Astronomical societies represent the professional and amateur astronomer´s interest on a national or international scale. Some societies fulfill important contributions for the advancement of astronomy classes in schools and to spread astronomical knowledge throughout the public. An important base for education and outreach is also formed by public observatories, planetariums and science museums. The availability of high quality instruments has led to outstanding successful observations by amateurs which in many cases has resulted in a fruitful amateur-professional partnership. Several amateur astronomers have earned a high reputation through their efforts. Some exemplary biographies will be presented shortly. The visit to astronomical observatories is well accepted by the public, one can literally speak of telescope tourism. Well known observatories, the majority of which dispose of a visitor center, are recommended as suggestion for an occasional visit.

The practice of science outreach is more necessary than ever. However, a disconnect exists between the stated goals for science outreach and its actual impact. In order to examine one potential source of this disconnect, we undertook a survey-based study to explore whether barriers to participation (either intrinsic or extrinsic) in science outreach exist within the academic community. We received responses to our survey from 530 individuals, the vast majority of whom engage in some type of science outreach activity on an annual basis. Those who engage in outreach report doing so for both personal and altruistic reasons, and having high (yet varied) levels of comfort with performing outreach activities. Respondents also report the existence of several significant yet surmountable barriers to participation, including lack of time and funding. Our findings demonstrate that both levels of participation in, and attitudes toward, science outreach within the academic community are generally favorable, suggesting that the general ineffectiveness of science outreach is due to other causes. We place our findings within the context of the broader science outreach, science communication and public engagement literature. We make recommendations on how existing approaches and infrastructure can, and must, be changed in order to improve the practice.

The research presented in this article sought to investigate the visions and perceptions of artists involved in the context of a traveling science museum in respect to science communication, the role of artistic interventions that travel with this museum, and their participation in this dynamic. The Fiocruz Museum of Life stands out, having since its creation in 1999, conceived and offered its public educational activities that promote the dialogue between art and science. In a similar way, Mobile Science, the mobile unit of the Museum of Life, inaugurated a new season of itinerant activity in 2013 called "Art and Science on Wheels". This new configuration aimed to promote socio-artistic-cultural inclusion on its travels to cities in southeastern Brazil. Since then, there has been an expansion and diversification of the artistic interventions that travel with this mobile science museum. The research question that has been raised is: what views on science communication do these artists involved in the activities have? Furthermore, what would be the perceptions of theater, circus, and visual arts professionals about the role of arts in an itinerant context and their involvement and experiences in this process? For this, interviews were conducted with 09 (nine) artists involved in the artistic activities developed within the scope of Mobile Science, who were still actively traveling before the activities were suspended by the Covid-19 pandemic. For the analysis of the interviews, qualitative methodology was used, based on an intuitive process of immersion and crystallization (STEWARD; GAPP; HARWOOD, 2017). The results considered the dimensions previously presented and raised some of the potentialities and opportunities that this type of activity offers for this interface between the fields of the arts and science communication, even though challenges are recognized. The interviewees reflected on the goals pursued by scientific communication activities, from the most concrete to the most symbolic, on how art merges with this and broadens horizons, and on how they see themselves as participants in this work. At the end of the article, it is concluded that mobile science museums’ actions are presented as a fundamental social inclusion strategy for the scientific and cultural dissemination of Brazilian productions, allowing them to be accessible to populations that often do not have access to cultural facilities. By allowing broad access to culture in an interaction between art and science, itinerant projects reinforce their role in popularizing culture and knowledge. The interaction between art and science allows the planning of scientific communication activities that go beyond the deficit model, developing actions that support dialogue, criticism, and the perception of knowledge in not only cognitive, but also affective and emotive, ways

Structural glaciology of the Martian ice caps unveils conduits for fluid migrations

GeoTraductores, a collaborative initiative involving Eos.org, GeoLatinas, and Planeteando, aims to overcome the language barrier in climate change and Earth science communication within Spanish-speaking communities. To accomplish this, science articles from Eos.org have been translated into Spanish by approximately 40 volunteers as part of the Eos en Espa&amp;#241;ol project. Around 85% of our team comprises&amp;#160; Latin women,&amp;#160; who have translated over 150 articles, contributing to expanding the Spanish-speaking audience of Eos.org and solidifying the initiative&amp;#8217;s success. This strategic translation effort not only enhances accessibility but also promotes the representation of Latin American Early Careers Scientists, many of whom reside and work in predominantly English-speaking countries.Since 2020, the GeoTraductores initiative has been co-led by (1) members of the non-profit organization GeoLatinas dedicated to embracing, empowering, and inspiring Latinas in Earth and Planetary Sciences; (2) Planeteando, a Mexican scientific and social outreach project in Earth and Environmental Sciences; and (3) Eos.org, the science news magazine published by AGU. Each party plays a distinct role in the initiative: (1) volunteer recruitment of translators is handled by GeoLatinas and Planeteando, (2) proofreading and editing of the translated articles is mainly led by Planeteando, and (3) the articles and platforms to make the final Spanish translation available are provided by Eos.org. In a broader effort, all involved collaborators utilize their social media platforms to make this bilingual content more accessible to a wider readership.Throughout this initiative, the GeoTraductores volunteers benefit by improving their English and translation skills, gaining visibility on social media, and making an altruistic contribution to the Latin American general public. Collaborators also benefit from engaging and gaining a wider audience to communicate science, as they foster the capacity building of volunteers, promoting a science communication co-production, and boosting each other. Overall, GeoTraductores is forging a pathway to democratize science, particularly in Latin America. Through establishing and strengthening a network of expert bilingual science communicators, this initiative addresses historical language barriers that impede the accessibility and dissemination of scientific information to the general public. By empowering volunteers and embracing diversity, GeoTraductores paves the way for expanding multilingual spaces within Earth and Planetary sciences one translation at a time.

Here is our bibliography of recent scholarly publications on (1) public attitudes regarding science and technology, (2) the role of mass and interactive media in science, health, and risk communication, and (3) science and technology museums, zoos, and natural history centers. In addition, this bibliography aims to guide readers to relevant bibliographic resources available via the Internet. We welcome comments, and hope that readers will call our attention to materials that appear outside of the mainstream of journals in science communication, science studies, mass communication, health communication, and risk communication.

The climate crisis is a challenge of planetary proportions that requires a rapid response at all levels. However, the necessary momentum can only be maintained if all parts of society not only understand the science behind it, but also trust scientists. Recent developments in the political and public sphere have led to highly polarized debates on social media, elevated levels of frustration, anxiety about the sum of global crises, and even hate speech and threats against scientists. New strategies in science communication are key to building a society that is resilient to global crises.Astronomers for Planet Earth (A4E) is an international grassroots movement of astronomy educators, amateurs, and scientists, working to address the climate crisis from an astronomical perspective.How can astronomers and planetary scientists do so effectively? By stretching the minds and imaginations of the public, we evoke fascination and awe. We can turn the astronomical perspective inwards, back to Earth, and focus the public on the uniqueness, wonder, and fragility of life on our only home &amp;#8212; and the critical need to protect it. In this presentation, we will introduce A4E and its outreach activities, which include short professionally produced films and public engagement activities.Our short films can be seen on both Vimeo and YouTube and are meant to inform and inspire the audience. The intention behind the short film format is to be easily shared via social media, email, and even in classrooms. The films themselves have informative astronomical content with messages of hope and empathy so that the audience walks away with an intrinsic motivation for action.An example of a public-engagement project is an audio-visual astronomy concert hosted by churches. "There is no Planet B" is the emotional framework within which we take a scientific journey from the beginnings of the universe to the formation of the planets, and ultimately, to the sprawling diversity of life on Earth that is yet unmatched in our cosmological discoveries. Impressive videos, room-filling light design, rousing organ music, and popular science keynote speeches flow into each other to create an immersive environment filled with inspiring &amp;#8220;wow&amp;#8221; moments.These outreach projects have the same goal &amp;#8211; to move the audience emotionally in a way that only astronomy can do, so that they walk away feeling motivated to care for the delicate web of life unique to our planet. These projects allow people to come together, even those with opposing views. Astronomy offers breathtaking images to marvel at as well as unrivaled success stories of global collaboration, pushing the boundaries of human achievement. We use astronomy to build trust in science and provide guidance when the scale and complexity of climate change is overwhelming. In this talk, we will share ideas on how to engage audiences constructively with critical issues such as climate change.We also want to discuss the challenges and rewards that we have been facing during this interdisciplinary project, which extends to the larger context of science communication as well. This pursuit takes time, commitment, and skill in public engagement. We are aware that science communication is often seen as something in addition to demanding research activities. We argue that this pursuit is worth the effort because scientists can provide guidance where science literacy is lacking, and that there is an institutional need to support these efforts.We acknowledge that those with the time to commit to this cause are often in positions of privilege in their careers and have relative financial stability, so that the voices most often heard do not necessarily reflect the communities most affected by the climate crisis already.At A4E we have evaluated our outreach efforts, and we know we can do better. While the short films are easily shareable, we need a better strategic marketing and public relations campaign to gain larger audiences and have far-reaching digital engagement. Our astronomy concerts have so far mainly reached an academic audience. In the future, we want to center cultural and socioeconomic diversity in all our outreach efforts so that our message better serves the global community. We also want to include early-career scientists in our efforts so that they may gain needed experience in communicating and broaden the representation within our own community.