Report

Teaser, summary, work performed and final results

Periodic Reporting for period 2 - SCIENCEatHOME (Let\'s Celebrate Cutting-Edge Science at Home!)

Teaser

RN2017@Ankara was organized by the Science and Society Center of Middle East Technical University (ODTÜ) to promote public recognition of science produced via EU and nationally funded cutting-edge R&D&I projects around the theme of “Science@Home”. This innovative theme...

Summary

RN2017@Ankara was organized by the Science and Society Center of Middle East Technical University (ODTÜ) to promote public recognition of science produced via EU and nationally funded cutting-edge R&D&I projects around the theme of “Science@Home”. This innovative theme was utilized because home is a familiar concept to us all, and this familiarity has great potential to break the conceived barriers between science and society. The setting was designed such that our audience feels like she/he is walking in their house from their kitchen to their bathroom, on to the living room and then out to the garden and garage. This familiar surrounding was the storytelling grounds of how science surrounds us everyday. Storytellers were researchers themselves presenting outcomes of their research in a vast spectrum of disciplines.

With the digital dimension of the awareness campaign, the ultimate total number of single person accesses was 800,781 (Facebook and Instagram); the total number of accesses was 2,830,587 (Facebook, Instagram and Twitter); and the total number of interactions was 76,417. Hence, the target of making 1,000,000 on-line and indirect beneficiaries aware of European Researchers’ Night and its objectives was reached with a fair share. On the other hand, the target of hosting a total of 10,000 on-site participants throughout the NIGHT, was also reached in RN2017@Ankara, including the individual visitors as well as the 157 schools from various municipalities of Ankara and 4 from cities other than Ankara (2 of which received logistic support through the project).

The ultimate messages conveyed via Science@Home was “What’s up with R&I?”, “Researchers are amongst us” “Science is fun and very much integrated in our everyday lives”. In accordance with the impact assessment, the event itself (activities, contacts with researchers, concrete organisation, schedule, location, venue, availability of staff and researchers) received an overall positive feedback by all participants, for whom the most favourite aspect of the event was the researchers’ and personnel’s interest and sincerity. Yet again, the constructive criticisms of having separate activities for secondary and high school students and having more activities addressing adults will be taken into account in future similar science fairs. In summary, the project Science@Home reached its objectives and proved to be successful for the realization of European Researchers\' Night 2017 in Ankara.

Work performed

Overview of the Results with respect to the Awareness Campaign:
o Conception, production and dissemination of promotional material (posters, roll-ups, canvas banners, flags, promotional give away)
o Publication of articles, interviews in local and national media (e.g. ODTÜLÜ magazine)
o Airing of radio and TV promotional spots (national TV channels, radio ODTÜ)
o Public advertising (entrance of event venue, bus stops, metros, busses, campuses, gates of campus: posters, canvas banners, flags, roll-ups, etc.)
o Setting up, constant updating and maintenance of project website
o Setting-up, constant updating and maintenance of project social network profiles (Facebook, Instagram, Twitter)
o Sending of direct invitation to schools through the Ministry of National Education and to science communicators
o Training of communicators: face to face meetings with interested science communicators, training of volunteers by science communicators during group meetings
o Hosting of a group of press representatives during the event itself
o About 800,000 people made aware of the European Researchers\' Night and its objectives

Overview of the Results with respect to the Activities during the Night:
o Offer of the activities as described in the Annex I Part B to the Grant agreement:
-Organisation of over 70 activities around the kitchen, living room, bathroom, garage and garden
-Hands-on experiments, workshops, demos, simulations, science shows, meetings with researchers, European corners
o Involvement of 46 teams of science communicators (20 faculty members, 2 student clubs, 8 private companies (SMEs and large), non-profit organisations, and universities other than ODTÜ)
o Involvement of 20 ODTÜ researchers, of whom:
-None having benefitted from MSC actions
-2 having benefitted/are benefitting from 9 different EU-funded projects (1 FP5, 2 FP6, 5 FP7, 1 H2020)
o Involvement of over 400 volunteers
o About 10.000 visitors, including 157 schools from various municipalities of Ankara, 4 from cities other than Ankara (2 received logistic support through the project)

Final results

Overview of the Results with respect to the Impact Assessment:

*Data analysis
o Collection, analysis and processing of 1.150 feedbacks (namely questionnaires filled in by 871 students, 86 teachers and 193 adults, by 7 research assistants from the Faculty of Education of Middle East Technical University (ODTÜ) and 5 volunteer university students, as well as by 4 research assistants from the Faculty of Education of ODTÜ with 42 volunteers (21 female and 20 male adults) having conducted semi-structured interviews
o Typology of visitors:
-Students and teachers: 74,8 %, of which: preschool (4-6 yrs old): 4,1%, primary school (Grades 1-4, 7-10 yrs old): 13,8%, secondary school (Grades 5-8, 11-14 yrs old): 24,7%, high school (Grades 9-12, 15-18 yrs old): 28 % and teachers of above school groups: 4,2%
-Individuals: 25,2%: 5 % aged 1-6, 7,4 % 7-10, 5,5 % 11-14, 11,5 % 15-18, 44,3 % 19-29, 14,3 % 30-39, 9,2 % 40-49, 2,3 % 50- 59, and 0,5 % over 60
o Gender distribution of participants: Equal with an approximate female/male ratio of 1.09
o Age distribution of participants: Sll ages from 1 to 60+
o Educational background of participants: All levels ranging from preschool to PhD graduate

*Main conclusions
o Overall positive feedback on the event itself (activities, contacts with researchers, concrete organisation, schedule, location, venue, availability of staff and researchers)
o Reduction of the existing stereotypes about researchers and their job
o Increased intention to undertake scientific studies observed within the students responders (over 50 %)
o Trend confirmed by teachers\' , including the increased understanding of science, love of science, and self-awareness that students can really learn science
o Increased scientific knowledge, learning by doing and demonstration of ways for teaching/learning science specifically underlined by adults participating
o General intention of the vast majority of all participants to participate in similar science fairs due to their satisfaction with the Science@Home event

*Key recommendations for future similar science fairs
o Increased number of activities addressing adults: many of the adults actively participated in the activities. The majority of the adults that did not actively participate preferred not to, in order to allow children to actively participate
o Increased number of hands-on activities allowing participants to engage more actively, if possible without decreasing the number of participants in the event
o Some improvements needed regarding scheduling of the event
o Again some disorganisation signalled by responders, although to a more limited extent compared to the criticism expressed during the first event in 2016
o Most favourite aspect of the event reported by responders: researchers’ and personnel’s interest and sincerity

Website & more info

More info: http://obe.metu.edu.tr/.