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

95%的宇宙似乎是由看不见的物质和能量组成的，这些物质和能量正在推动宇宙的加速膨胀，这一事实被广泛认为是所有科学中最令人吃惊的发现之一，也是最大的未解之谜。探索宇宙黑暗面的起源和本质，既是天文学研究的首要任务，也是我认为激发公众对天文学乃至整个科学好奇心的主要动力之一。“探索宇宙的阴暗面”是我提出的外展计划的中心主题。根据我自己的经验，宇宙学主题的拓展在学校、科学节和天文学团体等传统受众中非常受欢迎。然而，这项提案提出了一项活动方案，目的是在这些传统受众之外，将宇宙学带给更广泛的人口。我相信，在整个社会对科学的理解和尊重正在被冷漠、无知和歪曲所破坏的时候，这种方法是至关重要的——例如，最近公众对气候变化科学的信心受到侵蚀。我所提议的外展计划的基石将是举办至少50场关于宇宙学主题的公开讲座、研讨会和活动。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开发和交付，建立在我与学校、天文学会、博物馆、科学中心、科学节和普通公众的大量联系记录之上，并利用我在教育和科学传播方面的广泛联系和合作者网络。我提议的活动计划将侧重于“大问题”——宇宙学和天体物理学领域，这些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，时间和空间的本质以及宇宙中生命的存在。为了配合广泛的公共活动计划，我计划建立一个关于宇宙学“大问题”主题的多媒体教育资源的综合网络银行。这些将提供给学校，公众和STFC社区，因此将形成项目的长期遗产。我提出的计划的最后一个主要组成部分将致力于在整个英国推广一系列“科学博览会”项目，这些项目是我在2009年国际天文年期间与50多所苏格兰学校成功合作的。这些科学博览会的项目涵盖了从小学低年级到中学早期的各个年龄段，涉及几个广泛的主题，包括寻找外星生命和揭穿“月球骗局”阴谋论。项目的优势包括：学生实际参与科学方法；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;培养较强的人际交往和沟通能力以及团队合作能力。总之，所有的参与者都玩得很开心！目标是将这些项目扩展到整个英国——让STFC的科学家参与到项目工作的当地支持中。探索的主题领域也将扩展到包括与宇宙学中的“大问题”相关的实际挑战。

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.