Exploring the Dark Side of the Universe: an Integrated Programme of Astronomy Outreach for Schools and the Public

探索宇宙的黑暗面：面向学校和公众的天文学推广综合计划

• 批准号: ST/I000461/1
• 负责人: Martin Hendry
• 金额: $ 9.58万
• 依托单位: University of Glasgow
• 依托单位国家: 英国
• 项目类别: Fellowship
• 财政年份: 2010
• 资助国家: 英国
• 起止时间: 2010 至 无数据
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://gtr.ukri.org/projects?ref=ST%2FI000461%2F1
• 关键词: Exploring; Dark; Side; Universe; Integrated

The fact that 95% of the cosmos appears to consist of unseen matter and energy, which is driving the accelerated expansion of the Universe, is widely regarded as one of the most startling discoveries - and biggest unsolved mysteries - in all of science. The quest to understand the origin and nature of the dark side of the Universe is both a central priority for astronomy research and in my view one of the main drivers of public curiosity about astronomy, and indeed about science in general. 'Exploring the dark side of the Universe' is the central theme of my proposed outreach programme. In my own experience outreach on cosmology topics is extremely popular with traditional audiences in e.g. schools, science festivals and astronomy groups. However, this proposal sets out a programme of activities aimed at bringing cosmology to a much wider demographic, in addition to these traditional audiences. I believe this approach is crucial at a time when the understanding of, and respect for, science in society as a whole is being undermined by apathy, ignorance and misrepresentation - manifest in e.g. the recent erosion of public confidence in climate change science. The cornerstone of my proposed outreach programme will be a major series of at least 50 public lectures, workshops and events on cosmological themes. These activities will be personally developed and delivered by me at venues throughout the UK between Oct 2010 and Oct 2012, building upon my substantial track record of outreach to schools, astronomy societies, museums, science centres, science festivals and the general public - and exploiting my extensive network of contacts and collaborators in education and science communication. My proposed programme of events will focus on the 'Big Questions' - areas of cosmology and astrophysics which address deep and inspiring philosophical issues: e.g. the origin and evolution of the Universe, the nature of time and space and the existence of life in the cosmos. Complementary to the extensive programme of public events, I plan to build up a comprehensive web bank of multimedia educational resources on the 'Big Question' themes in cosmology. These will be available to schools, the general public and the STFC community and thus will form a longer-term legacy from the project. The final major component of my proposed programme will aim to extend across the UK a series of 'Science Fair' projects which I ran successfully with more than 50 Scottish schools during International Year of Astronomy 2009. These Science Fair projects have been run with a range of ages, from lower primary school to early secondary, and on several broad topics - including the search for extra-terrestrial life and debunking 'Moon Hoax' conspiracy theories . The strengths of the projects include: practical engagement of pupils with the scientific method; deeper learning and understanding of key science concepts; involvement in open-ended research; interdisciplinary learning; development of strong interpersonal and communication skills and teamwork building. Above all the participants had great fun! The goal will be to extend these projects across the UK - involving STFC scientists in local support of the project work. The topic areas to be explored will also be extended to include practical challenges relevant to the 'Big Questions' in cosmology.

95%的宇宙似乎由看不见的物质和能量组成，这推动了宇宙的加速膨胀，这一事实被广泛认为是所有科学中最令人震惊的发现之一，也是最大的未解之谜。探索宇宙黑暗面的起源和本质既是天文学研究的核心优先事项，也是公众对天文学乃至整个科学产生好奇心的主要驱动力之一。“探索宇宙的黑暗面”是我提出的外展计划的中心主题。根据我自己的经验，在学校、科学节和天文团体等传统受众中，宇宙学主题的宣传非常受欢迎。然而，这项提案列出了一个活动方案，旨在将宇宙学带给更广泛的人群，除了这些传统的受众。我认为，在整个社会对科学的理解和尊重正受到冷漠、无知和歪曲的破坏的时候，这种方法至关重要--例如，最近公众对气候变化科学的信心受到侵蚀。我提议的外展方案的基石将是关于宇宙学主题的至少50次公开讲座、讲习班和活动的主要系列活动。这些活动将由我在2010年10月至2012年10月期间在英国各地的场馆亲自制定和开展，基于我在学校、天文学会、博物馆、科学中心、科学节和普通公众的丰富记录，并利用我在教育和科学交流方面广泛的联系人和合作者网络。我提出的活动计划将聚焦于“大问题”--宇宙学和天体物理学领域，涉及深刻而鼓舞人心的哲学问题：例如，宇宙的起源和演化、时间和空间的性质以及宇宙中生命的存在。为配合广泛的公众活动，我计划建立一个以宇宙学的“大问题”为主题的多媒体教育资源的综合网上资料库。这些将向学校、公众和STFC社区提供，从而形成该项目的长期遗产。我提议的计划的最后一个主要部分将致力于在英国各地推广我在2009年国际天文年期间与50多所苏格兰学校成功合作的一系列科学博览会项目。这些科博会项目涵盖了从小学低年级到初级中学的各个年龄段，涉及几个广泛的主题--包括寻找外星生命和揭穿“月球骗局”的阴谋论。这些项目的优势包括：让学生实际接触科学方法；加深对关键科学概念的学习和理解；参与开放式研究；跨学科学习；培养良好的人际交往和沟通能力以及团队合作能力。最重要的是，与会者玩得很开心！目标是将这些项目推广到英国各地--让STFC的科学家参与到项目工作的当地支持中来。要探索的主题领域也将扩大到包括与宇宙学中的“大问题”相关的实际挑战。