CSPC 2017

Panel Organizers: Jesse Rogerson, Canada Aviation Space Museum and Stephanie Deschenes, Canadian Association of Science Centres

According to the report Science Culture Canada (Council of Canadian Academies,2014),Canadians in general have a very positive attitude toward science and technology. With42% of us having a basic level of scientific literacy, Canada is ranked first among 35 countries.However, a later survey by the Ontario Science Centre found that, though most Canadiansbelieve they are science literate and use science to form opinions, a high proportion said theyfelt that the science of climate change is unclear (35%), that vaccines are linked to autism (18%)and that genetically modified organisms are not good for our health (57%). In this time of“alternative facts,” it is more important than ever to engage citizens in the understanding of thescientific process by which facts are established.

Classically, museums and science centres would showcase, through exhibits, artifacts, andprogramming, various scientific principles and phenomenon. The classic scientific researchinstitutions would employ scientists to develop their research and answer fundamental orapplied scientific questions. The gap between knowledge generation and knowledge transferpartially contributes to misconceptions in the public’s mind about who scientists are, how theyemploy the scientific method to answer questions, and how modern scientific research is carriedout. In an effort to reduce this metaphorical and physical gap between scientific inquiry and thepublic, many cultural institutions have begun developing programs that incorporate scientistsinto the museum experience.

This session will look at how Canada’s science centres and museums a) use the science behindscience communication to encourage audiences to look deeper at the plethora of informationavailable to form opinions based on fact; b) develop partnerships with other STEM-basedorganizations, the research community, academia and industry to engage Canadians of all ageswith an end goal of increasing science literacy; and c) demonstrate how delegates can developsimilar partnerships to help battle the era of “alternative facts” using solid science.