Engaging Students and the Public in Polar Research through Live Interactive Planetarium Shows

From shrinking sea ice in the Arctic to collapsing ice shelves in the Antarctic, changes in the polar regions dramatically illustrate the effects of human-caused global warming, and those changes profoundly impact global climate. However, surveys of public knowledge about the polar regions indicate poor understanding of the most basic facts such as polar geography and ice formation. In this NSF-funded project, we created polar science shows for Pacific Science Center's 40-seat planetarium. The 30-minute shows are presented by a Science Interpreter who interacts with guests and can answer questions. The learning objectives include: Where is the Arctic? Where is the Antarctic? What is sea ice? What is glacial ice? How thick is the ice? What happens when it melts? How do changes in the polar regions affect global climate? These topics fall under the heading of "general content." We also created polar science shows involving "research-specific content" by recruiting graduate students in the Earth Sciences and training them in the principles of science communication, then helping them create content for the shows based on their own research topics. Those shows were presented jointly by a Science Interpreter and the graduate student whose research was showcased.

From 2018 to 2020 we presented the polar shows 521 times to more than 14,000 guests. We collected 674 questionnaires from guests for the purposes of evaluation and research. Ninety-two percent of respondents reported that they learned "some" or "a lot" about polar science. Most respondents indicated that after watching the show they were significantly more interested in the topic of polar science. Respondents were in general agreement that having a live presenter made it easier to pay attention, and they felt comfortable asking the live presenter questions during the show.

Pacific Science Center was closed to in-person visits during the COVID-19 pandemic from March 2020 to July 2022. With its recent reopening, the polar planetarium shows have resumed. Pacific Science Center is the most well-attended museum in the Pacific Northwest and has won awards for its programming.