Science in the Streets: Public Engagement Then and Now

The History of Science Society and the BU Center for Philosophy and History of Science present

Science in the Streets: Public Engagement Then and Now

Thursday, November 21st, 3pm – 6pm

Boston Convention and Exhibition Center, room 253C

415 Summer St, Boston

Two panel discussions exploring innovative ways of connecting citizens with science, and how the history of science can inform and enrich these efforts.

Science and Spectacle (3pm – 4:30pm)

Science Festivals and the Changing Culture of Science Engagement

-John Durant (MIT Museum and Cambridge Science Festival)

History of Science with a Sense of Humor

-Brian Malow (Science Comedian) + David Kaiser (MIT)

Carving Story Out of Science: On Stage and On Air

-Ari Daniel (Story Collider and Freelance Reporter)

PANEL DISCUSSION with historians of science Gerardo Aldana, Oliver Hochadal, and Heidi Voskuhl

Crowdsourcing: Science by the People? (4:30pm – 6pm)

Crowdsourcing at the Smithsonian: From 1849 Weather Observers to Today’s Encyclopedia of Life

-Pamela Henson (Institutional History, Smithsonian Institute Archives)

Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Data: From Whewell’s “Subordinate Labourers” to Maury’s Seafarers

-Caren Cooper (Cornell Lab of Ornithology)

The Zooniverse at Your Fingertips

-Lucy Fortson (School of Physics and Astronomy, University of Minnesota, Citizen Science Alliance)

PANEL DISCUSSION with historians of science Deborah Coen, Leandra Swanner, and Lukas Rieppel.

Questions to be explored include: What are some of the new creative initiatives to engage the public in science? Do these initiatives have a historical precedent? How has the relationship between “science” and “the public” changes over time? Why do citizens become involved in crowdsourcing? Is crowdsourcing a democratization of science or exploitative? What are the goals of engaging the public in science? How can historians of Science contribute to efforts in public engagement?

This event is FREE AND OPEN TO THE PUBLIC. For further information and updates please visit: www.hssonline.org/scienceinthestreets

Co-sponsored by the History of Science Society (HSS) and the BU Center for Philosophy and History of Science