Thursday, 18 January 2007: 4:30 PM
Communicating with Museum Audiences about Climate Science: Contributions of Gene Rasmusson
217C (Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center)
Not only has Gene Rasmusson made invaluable contributions to the scientific discourse on climate variability, he also helped to lead the development of a groundbreaking museum exhibition on climate science that has contributed to the public discourse on this topic. In 2004, the National Academy of Sciences opened the Koshland Science Museum, with the objective of reaching science-interested audiences to whom the solemn tomes put forth by the NAS are often impenetrable. Gene Rasmusson led a group of global change scientists in the development of the museum's global warming exhibition, which premiered at the museum's opening. There are a number of groundbreaking aspects to this work that have helped lay the foundation for other exhibitions on controversial topics that use cutting edge technology to help adult audiences wrestle with substantial environmental and social issues. In addition to the needs that this work has met with its target audiences, it has also made significant intellectual contributions to the ways that both the museum education community and the National Academies think about science communication.
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