| Abstract |
There is a common misconception about science outreach, which starts by stating that science communication needs to bring people closer to science. At the Andean Geothermal Center of Excellence –a university based research center in Chile - we believe that we must bring science closer to people. This is not simple wordplay, it implies a series of editorial decisions about how we promote geothermal energy among our key audiences. And one of our target groups are school children and teachers. An obvious choice would be to bring geothermal information to the classrooms, where audience is captive. But we want our audiences to get excited about geothermal, and our school system in Chile is still old-fashioned in a way that it is still committed to delivering academic information, when our goal is to interest and entertain young people with the hot and exciting universe beneath our feet. So we decided to experiment with pop-up experiences, which are short term outdoor exhibitions. We took over public spaces and showcased the power of the volcanic Andes to the people. Because, yes, we also use volcanoes as a gateway to talk about geothermal with young audiences. So, during the last 5 years, we experimented with a nomade circuit of book releases about volcanoes, springs and heritage; a temporary science mural; talks about the geology in popular TV shows at science fairs; and a virtual reality experience to take a journey to the underground in a geo-submarine that we landed at a subway station. In a way, we operate as a guerrilla, we ambush our audience and hope they will fall for their captor’s message: geothermal, the hottests energy there is, and also so cool too! |