Experiments in Engagement: a New Journal for Scientists Engaged In

Experiments in Engagement: A new journal for scien1sts engaged in informal science educa1on Philip W. Hammer, PhD Associate Vice President American Institute of Physics [email protected] June 30, 2015 • AIP - briefly • Why do we need a science of engagement? • Experiments in Engagement: A Proposed New Scholarly Journal • Discussion $$ PARTNERSHIPS PROGRAMS PRODUCTS SERVICES www.aip.org – Physics Today magazine – Physics Today Career Network – Stas;cal Research – News and Media Services – Inside Science News Service – Center for History of Physics and Niels Bohr Library & Archives – Industrial Outreach – Government Relaons – Society of Physics Students – GradSchoolShopper.com US HIGH SCHOOL PHYSICS ENROLLMENTS US HIGH SCHOOL PHYSICS ENROLLMENTS ~ 40% take physics ~ 50% are female Source: AIP Stas;cal Research Center !!! • Inspire many more students to study STEM: • STEM à understanding, intellectual s;mulaon, engagement with the world • Personal economic compe;;veness: à good jobs & high salaries are in STEM • US economic compe;;veness and naonal security • A science of engagement will improve our connec;on with broad audiences. – Educaon? – Edutainment? – Supplement / Complement formal educaon? – Inspiraon? – Lobby congress / policy makers? – YES à to some combinaon of all of the above • Many research scientists are reaching out to the general public. – NSF “Broader Impacts” and similar grant requirements. – Engaging the public is good for science. – Undergraduates often drive department outreach activities, but they need faculty support. – It’s fun!! • Other scientists are fully immersed in outreach as their main professional activity. • There is insufficient communication between the scientists becoming engaged and those already engaged. • We need ways to teach, encourage, and reinforce a culture of engagement within the research community. • The culture of engagement needs to be based in science if it is going to be embraced and adopted by scientists. • Scientists often over-estimate their talent outside of their core expertise. • Yet, many find themselves reinventing the flat tire. • There is not an authoritative, vetted, and archived resource of what works and what does not. Organizing Committee: • Laura Greene, UIUC • Bo Hammer, AIP • Tiffany Lohwater, AAAS • John Mather, NASA Goddard • David Pines, UC Davis • Martin Storksdieck, NAS • Becky Thompson, APS • Aren’t there already such journals out there? • Aren’t there already such journals out there? – Yes, e.g.: Public Understanding of Science, Visitor Studies, Science Communication, Astronomy Education Review and Curator • Aren’t there already such journals out there? – Yes, e.g.: Public Understanding of Science, Visitor Studies, Science Communication, Astronomy Education Review and Curator – But research scientists do not typically submit to, nor do they read, these journals. So, from the perspective of advancing a new science of engagement, within the sciences, these journals might as well not exist. • Why a new journal? – Credibility & audience within the science community. – Authoritative repository for descriptions of outreach activities, programs, projects, resources, etc. – A resource of best practices. – A referenced, archival record. – Scholarly credibility è peer review. – A basis for professional development in engagement. • Benefits of a new journal – Advance the scholarship of engagement. – Provide an experimental, research-validated basis for outreach/public engagement, BY AND FOR SCIENTISTS. – Establish a foundation of validated best practices for science students and early career scientists to become engaged. • Benefits of a new journal, cont’d. – Funders’ expectations on impact, evaluation, and return on investment. – Congressional and Executive Branch pressure to demonstrate impact of federal funding – increased accountability. – Establish an ethical culture of attribution and credit among outreach professionals. In other words, SOCIAL INNOVATION And culture change in science A PUBLISHING PARTNER FOR EiE • We are in preliminary discussions with leading US science organizations with a major, high impact publishing platform. • Coordination & partnership w/ AAAS Trellis • Two donors already committed $$$ support • The journal would have two parts: – Scholarly, peer-reviewed section – Magazine section • Blogs • Accounts of interesting new ideas warranting further investigation • News • What would the journal publishing model be? – Peer reviewed – Open access? – exact model to be determined – Online only – Attached to an existing high impact journal (?) – International • Global submissions • Articles on cultural differences • Willing to serve as EiE Editors • Geraldine Richmond, Chemistry, Oregon • Stephen Berry, Chemistry, Chicago • Myriam Sarachik,Physics, CUNY • Robert Birgenau, Physics, UC Berkeley • Maw-kuen Wu, Physics, NDU • Rita Colwell, Biology, Maryland • Joseph Francisco, Chemistry, Nebraska • Supportive, but have too many other • Sylvester Gates, Physics, Maryland commitments to be able to serve as • Laura Greene, Physics, UIUC EiE Editor • David Gross, Physics, UC Santa • May Berenbaum, Biology, UIUC Barbara • Mildred Dresselhaus,Physics, MIT • Dudley Herschbach, Chemistry, Harvard • Anthony Leggett, Physics, UIUC • John Hildebrand, Neuroscience, Arizona • Alexandra Navrotsky, Geology, Davis and NAS Foreign Secretary • Martin Rees, Astrophysics, Cambridge • Simon Levin, Ecology, Princeton • Jeremy Sabloff, Anthropology, SFI • John Mather, Astrophysics, NASA • Barbara Schaal,Biology, Washington U • Jose Onuchic, Biological Physics, Rice • David Pines, Physics, SFI and UC Davis • Outstanding questions for discussion: – Will the Asian science community support Experiments in Engagement • As founding partners? • As financial sponsors? • By contributing articles, and serving as editors and referees? – Are there factors we should consider so that EiE is relevant to scientists in Asia? .

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