#SciComm (articles)

Science center or museum exhibits are an amazing means of demonstrating scientific ideas while providing visitors with a unique experience. Paying attention to every detail about them is crucial; from the design, through prototyping, to execution, and then maintenance.

Interaction is such a keyword while looking for success in different life settings. While learning through books, videos, and such could be good for acquiring knowledge, interaction creates a channel between the sender and receiver. Through this channel a flood of information could be better delivered and absorbed, especially with children who are still unable to know their way, literally and metaphorically.

Intending to raise innovators, well-equipped with knowledge, and have a well-rounded educational background that would help them with the nature of future jobs, educators have been developing different methods to spark interest and passion in learners to learn more about different subjects, to be able to choose the pathway they want to pursue. That is because, even if they would like to pursue a career in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) fields, they will also need a baseline of different skills to adapt to their academic or professional careers.

While educational institutions that deliver formal and informal science education play a key role in science communication and enriching people interested in science with knowledge, this does not mean these institutions are the sole places where this could be done. In other words, science cannot be confined within four walls.

Setting goals is the one sure way to get to what you want, even if it is difficult and requires strenuous effort. However, just as goals differ in their specification, they differ in achievability, which is determined by the framework they are set within.

You may remember the broken bridge that you created while still a child to carry a huge truck, till it came into pieces. You might have tried another one, with better construction to be more solid; once, twice and more. To be more aware and confident with your construction, you might have used your senses to explore the physical properties of materials, took things apart then put them together to figure out how things work.

People, since a very young age, tend to watch, listen, and analyze everything around them. Seeking knowledge has never been limited to some people; it is embedded in all of us. Since scientific knowledge explains most of the events and phenomena happening around us, the importance of its acquisition has become a must.

What makes us like some places and willing to visit them many times but feel estranged from others is the feeling of belonging that some spaces provide while others lack. Schools and learning environments are no exception; if a learning space engages its visitors, makes them feel welcomed and that they belong to it, better results would be achieved. Yet, how could this be that important to the enrichment of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) fields?

The enthusiasm for science starts with an eagerness to learn its basics, which leads to the next step: the passion for contribution. Although this step is expected from people with a major in science or who are planning to get one, it does not stop there. The general public can also contribute to science and get involved in scientific research and in-field work by means of "citizen science".

Supporting children who struggle with learning disabilities has always been a necessity, even if it has been overlooked for years. Recently, the awareness of inclusion and equity for all children has risen through different ways; campaigns, conferences, among other means. It has also been included in the 2030 agenda for the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).