The science of talking so people want to listen

June 19, 2009 | 8:45 am

If you study high-energy particle physics, the importance and excitement of neutrinos is obvious. But how do you convey that to an auditorium of students, a member of Congress, or your neighbor?

If you’re Michael Turner, a University of Chicago astrophysicist, you borrow a plot line from the classic Christmas movie, It’s a Wonderful Life. “What if neutrinos had never existed?” Turner asked in a recent public outreach lecture. Then he showed the audience a world without the subatomic particles, just as the movie showed life minus the main character George Bailey.

“No neutrinos,” Turner said. “That means no atoms, no Earth, and no us.”

Connecting science to everyday experiences in jargon free terms is key to science outreach, something Turner excels at doing. He shared his insights and tips from more than a decade worth of talks with scientists at Fermilab’s annual Users’ Meeting this month.

The meeting featured a special Outreach Workshop with talks to help scientists adjust to a changing climate that requires every scientist be able to explain the value of research in language a banker with no science background would understand.

Full article here:

http://www.symmetrymagazine.org/breaking/2009/06/19/the-science-of-talking-so-people-want-to-listen/

To quote:

“What we do is intrinsically interesting and important,” Turner said. “You have to work hard to make it boring.”