BEST PRACTICE IN SCIENCE DEMONSTRATION PERFORMANCE Winston Churchill Memorial Trust Fellowship Summary Report Deborah Syrop
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Introductio! Nobel Prize winning physicist, Lawrence Bragg wrote, "... the conveying of scienti#c ideas to people who are not specialists in science is a fascinating art which deserves a$ respect. It is only to be learnt by the bitter experienc% of making many mistakes, and by intensive study.& Unfortunately, although there is a great deal of practical knowledge, usually known within the heads of experienced presenters, very little has been published about the theory of science show performance. Mistakes however, abound. My WCMT fellowship gave me the rare opportunity to re"ect on my work as a science communicator and I took the chance to learn from as many other practitioners as possible. My base was Australia#s National Science and Technology Centre, Questacon in Canberra. As part of the government, it plays an in"uential role in both policy and practice in Australia. I was also able to observe shows from over a dozen di$erent providers in a wide variety of other contexts across South East Australia. I interviewed individuals involved in aspects of science communication and theatre about their working practices and also spent time with researchers at the Centre for the Public Awareness of Science at the Australian National University. As a result of my fellowship, I am collating some of the guiding principles of best practice for the bene%t of the science communication community worldwide. This report o$ers some general observations from my fellowship.
e on arrival to Australia
Visiting Sydney Harbour Bridg
Kookaburra sitting on the balcony !
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Aim of Fe$owship To compare best practice in interactive science demonstration presentation development in the UK with best practice in Australia, with a view to raising standards within the industry as a whole.
Objectives • Spend time with the R&D team at the National Science Discovery Centre, following the development process for new science&based presentations for the public • Compare methods for training science presenters and maintaining a high quality of performance. • Spend time with key individuals in pioneering science engagement research at the Centre for the Public Awareness of Science 'CPAS( at the Australian National University • Observe science outreach in the %eld with Shell Questacon Science Circus and other groups. • Increase experience in the wider %eld of performance development and training outside of the science engagement community through short visits to key practitioners in other art&forms.
