Achievement

IGERT fellow Kristin Wilde has worked with local scientists participating in a public outreach project at Explora Science Center and Children’s Museum. The Portal to the Public (PoP) project aims to engage scientists with the public in an informal setting. The scientists create table-top demonstrations related to their work to be presented primarily to family groups visiting the museum on weekends. In preparation for this summer, Kristin has been learning how to translate her PhD research on dynamic tactile materials into demonstrations that can be understood on some level by all age groups from toddlers to senior citizens. She has already had some opportunities to interact with children and their parents during preparatory sessions, and has come away better able to present scientific ideas to a wide range of people in a fun, interesting, and interactive manner.