Harlem Children Society

1. SCIENCE COMMUNICATIONS Rosalee Washington & Betty Diop Mentor: Ann Marie Cunningham Co Mentor: Ira Flatow Science Friday Initiative Harlem Children Society • OBJECTIVE: To educate young people about scientific issues and convince them to get more engaged in science through media technology. The main focus was on Women in Science and Food Sustainability. METHODOLOGY: • Learn about scientific controversies through documentaries and readings. • Inform people about science related matters through Web blogs and videos. • Conduct surveys to discover how people view science and their thoughts on certain topics. • Exploring scientific facilities throughout the city. • Creating science videos that would convince people to get more engaged in science. • Documentaries and Readings • “Food Inc”: • This film exposes the effects of industrialized • food systems. It shows how big companies • put you and your families at risk everyday. • The animals are kept in unclean conditions, • workers are treated unfairly, and farmers • are harassed. Choosing local foods over • processed foods is the best way to control • the effects of the food industry. • “Garbage Dreams”: • This film proves that modernization is not • always the best idea. It focuses on the • Zaballeen, who are Cairo’s lowest class. • They collect and recycle 80% of the city’s • trash using hands on methods. Foreign • trash companies are replacing the • Zaballeen. As always, profit is placed • ahead of progress. • “Age of Stupid”: • This film discusses climate change, war, oil, • and consumerism . It is set in the year 2055 • and depicts what the Earth will look like by • the then if we don’t change our methods. It • focuses on the fact that the human race • committed suicide. • This book describes how Americans’ “science illiteracy” is due to the fact that scientists don’t communicate their work and the media doesn’t advertize science. There isn’t enough being done to ensure that the public is aware of what is happening in science and this will be the downfall of the United States' scientific dominance in the world. • Surveys • LEARN IT, GROW IT, EAT IT • We surveyed interns at the 169th St. & Boston Rd. Greenmarket, the Queens Botanical Garden, and a community garden on 3rd Avenue. • Some of the questions are below: • On a scale of 1-10, how healthy are the foods you eat? • Do you know the difference between processed foods and unprocessed foods? • On a scale of 1-10, how much do you like science? • Can you name a scientist? • What field in science would you consider working in someday? • Do you think that it is necessary to have knowledge in science in order to • succeed? • Have you ever been to a museum, the zoo, or other science facilities? How often? • What was the most recent science news you’ve heard? When was it? • Are you aware of climate change? • Does knowing about science matter to you in your everyday life? • Results: • The survey showed that the teens knew a lot of general information on science but they weren’t ware that the work they were doing in the greenmarkets and gardens is actually science • WOMEN IN SCEINCE • This was a video survey where we interviewed random men and women on camera in Times Square and Bryant Park. They were asked: • Can you name any scientists? • Can you name any women scientists? • What does this indicate about our society? • Results: • Many people were able to name well known scientists like Einstein. However, very few people could name any women scientists. The only woman scientist named was Marie Curie. People aren’t aware of women scientists dead or alive, because there aren’t enough of them. • TALKINGSCIENCE In order to determine how satisfied people are about the videos and blogs we made, we developed this survey: • How did you learn about TalkingScience? • Where are you located? • What is your age range? • What is your sex? • How often do you visit the TalkingScience website? • Did you find what you were looking for? • How do you rate the design of the website? • Would you recommend this site to other people? • Do you think the TalkingScience website should have advertisements? • What is your favorite aspect of the TalkingScience website? (videos, blogs, etc) • Would you prefer our blogs and videos to also be available in Spanish? • Please make recommendations for the website Results: We have been receiving many responses to the survey and the number of visitors to the website has increased. 45% of our visitors are teens (our target audience), 25% in their 20’s, and the rest 30 or older. • Interview • We conducted an interview with Eileen Jang, the • winner of the 2009 Stockholm Junior Water Prize- • the most prestigious international competition for • water-related research, as part of our work with • women in science. She was asked the following • questions: • What inspired you to do research on mercury • sulfide in freshwater? • Do you have a personal connection to it? • Why do you think so few people know about the • effects of mercury? • What is a good way to get the word out about it? • Are scientists trying to produce ways in which high amounts of doesn’t contaminate our seafood? • How do you think your findings will benefit the environment? • Will it promote any change? • How important is it to you that we stop harmful toxins from polluting freshwater toxins? • Since you’ll be going to Yale in the fall, will you major in environmental science? • What research do you hope to do next in the future? • What did it mean for you to win the Stockholm Junior Water Prize? • After exploring the city and gathering information through surveys and films, the “Science in the City” video and the “Women in Science” video series, brings everything together. • SCEINCE IN THE CITY VIDEO • This video was created to showcase the most popular science facilities in New York. • The goal is to encourage people to explore them and get more engaged in science. • The video features: Bodies…The Exhibition, The NY Hall of Science, Lucy’s Legacy, • The American Museum of Natural History, and Sony Wonder Tech Lab. • WOMEN IN SCEINCE VIDEO SERIES • This five part video series was created to get young women more involved in science careers. The women interviewed ranged from ages15- 35. • Introduction to the matter (Part 1) • Women in Science video survey (Part 2) • Why should there be more women in science? (Part 3) • Are women encouraged enough to go into the sciences? (Part 4) • What is the future for women in science? (Part 5) Harlem Children Society