T332 Clear As Mud? Advancing Communication in the Geosciences

Wednesday, 4 November 2015
1:30 PM - 5:30 PM
Room 343

PRODUCING A SINGLE OUTREACH PRODUCT TO REACH MULTIPLE AUDIENCES

Paper number: T332-8
Program: Technical Sessions
Time: 3:05 PM – 3:20 PM

Authors

Abstract

As a major facility, UNAVCO is well positioned to produce and distribute outreach materials for a broad audience. A single outreach product can engage students in the classroom, the public, and members of the scientific community. To promote the EarthScope Plate Boundary Observatory (PBO) and the science coming out of it, UNAVCO produced three print products in 2014-2015. PBO-52, a deck of playing cards, features a small sampling of the more than 1,100 GPS stations in the PBO network. The deck spotlights individual stations and their velocities as well as highlighting a volcano and earthquake within each of four regions (Alaska, Pacific Northwest, California, and Interior). The intent of the card deck is both to connect with stakeholders such as site permit-holders within the PBO footprint, and to engage curious students and others who are interested in exploring plate motions. For instance, Jokers show a simple way to lay out the cards to visualize each region’s velocity field. Additionally, these cards offer a way for members of the geodetic community to share their science with friends and family outside of the geosciences.

The second and third print products are maps featuring PBO GPS station velocities in the Western United States (Tectonic Motions of the Western United States) and Alaska (Tectonic Motions of Alaska). The maps allow viewers to explore and question the patterns of deformation within the PBO footprint. Each map is a visualization of the dynamics responsible for earthquakes, volcanoes, and mountain building. The Tectonic Motions of the Western United States poster will be included in packets sent to teachers throughout the country for AGI’s Earth Science Week in October 2015. Our intention is that these maps end up in secondary school classrooms but also in university labs, where they may foster discussion and provide a ready visualization for scientists, who can also use them as an outreach tool of their own.

This presentation will feature both the products discussed here and evaluation of the products’ impact on various audiences.