Description:

As the Sun begins to enter into the next cycle of activity, the importance of advocating for public communication and education of solar activity on everyday life and operation becomes clear. The focus of space weather communication can proceed in two ways: how to disseminate information to the public and how commonplace technologies can be affected. In a time that is now heavily run with technology that can easily be disrupted by space weather events, solar and space physicists need to help connect the public to our star in a way that does not perpetuate fear. Following similar strategies used by broadcast meteorologists and creating educational and outreach-based incentives is the first step. This session will focus on bridging the gap between science and the public, emphasizing the complexities overlooked when discussing the Sun.