Through its membership, the Division of Plasma Physics has had a successful
program in support of science education and public outreach since 1988. Much
of the DPP effort owes its success to the early, and continuing work of individual
DPP members and their respective research institutions.
The first plasma/fusion education workshop (now referred to as Science Teachers
Day) was held at the 1988 annual meeting of the APS-DPP in association with
the APS Education and Outreach Program Office. Due to its success and to the
support from DPP membership, Teachers Day became an annual event in conjunction
with the DPP annual meeting.
The present Science Teachers Day has been expanded to provide information for
both middle and high school science teachers on plasma science and its applications
by way of workshops and poster presentations. DPP research scientists inform
teachers of the challenges of current plasma research in the scientific laboratory.
These “real-life” topics seldom found in conventional classroom discussions
or in school textbooks, provide tools to help teachers inspire students to understand
the research challenges of plasma science and related applications. Teachers
who are registered for the workshops are also provided free entrance at the
concurrent week-long DPP annual meeting and technical poster session on Education
and Outreach and any other presentations, special programs, and events.
The next step up in education and outreach began at the 1994 DPP annual meeting
where DPP launched its first community Open House/Plasma Sciences Expo in order
to provide a venue for public outreach as part of its annual meeting. Sherrie
Preische and Robert Heeter (both plasma physics graduate students at the time)
with support from the DPP chair organized a plasma exhibit and lectures at the
Minneapolis/St. Paul Science Museum for the general public. The Plasma Sciences
Expo is presently a two-day event for the general public, including teachers
and students, held annually at a museum, university, or convention center in
the host city of the DPP meeting. Exhibits from national laboratories, universities,
and industry are on display in order to share the excitement of plasma research
and plasma applications.
Besides coordinating Plasma Sciences Expo with Science Teachers Day at the DPP
annual meeting, additional education/outreach activities were also made a permanent
feature of the DPP meeting in 1994 when this topic was added to the meeting
technical subject categories. Each year since, there have been invited symposia,
career outreach panel discussion, and poster sessions on education and outreach
topics. The driving element of the success of education/outreach activities
of the DPP is the member scientists who are committed to communicating to a
non-technical audience.
For more information about the DPP Education and Outreach activities, please
contact Don Correll (dcorrell@llnl.gov) as chair of the DPP Education and Outreach
committee.
Coalition
for Plasma ScienceThe Coalition for Plasma Science has produced this brochure to introduce the general public to plasmas, to the widespread presence of plasma in nature, and to the broad range of important plasma applications. The Coalition is glad to provide copies of the brochure to APS-DPP members for distribution to appropriate groups. For copies please contact the Coalition Chairman at 877-752-7627.