My name is Kelly Colwell, and I am a senior at the University of Maryland. I'm a major in Physics, concentrating in education and have a keen interest in animal care. I hope that once I graduate I can either work as a writer for an online physics magazine or become a caretaker at an animal shelter. Ideally, I would incorporate both in my life.
My primary interest in physics is getting information out to the layman. Most people when questioned on physics know very little, and think it is complicated and impossible for them to understand. My goal is to work towards making physics friendly for the "common man" and garner interest for the field. Technology is important in achieving this goal because most people have internet access and information is easily accessible via blogs, online articles, forums and other venues. This means that if a layman has an interest in physics, they don't have to subscribe to a magazine like Discover or Scientific American, which takes more effort and might not be worth it to them. With blogs and websites, casual learners can get more information about physics without having to expend the effort of getting the information in a physical format like a book, magazine, or lecture. Basically, technology (mainly the internet) reaches a new demographic of curious people.
A great website for people wanting to learn more about science is ScienceNow, which has breaking news on all sorts of research and fields in science. They also have a wide variety of RSS feeds on the main website, which belongs to the American Association for the Advancement of Science. My mother, upon learning my interest in physics, wanted to learn more herself and now frequently sends me links from this website. It is a fantastic tool for those interested in science but not pursuing a career in it.
Another tool for the casual science learner is educational television. A great example of this is NOVA. NOVA is a PBS program which shows documentaries of all types, and they are made to be very easy to understand. The show is very entertaining and does a good job of balancing information and excitement. Their website is also a wonderful place to go to use interactive tools (such as the fractal generator) and watch shows.
I am interested in learning how to blend mass media and learning, in order to create a fun environment for educating the layman in science, specifically physics. I would like to understand how people typically interact with the mass communication in order to optimize the availability of knowledge to those who are curious.
I really enjoyed reading this blog. I think for the most part, for anyone that is not a Physics major, the subject can be a little bit intimidating. Kelly makes a good point in stating that through the use of technology, an average person has a whole world of access to physics and other related topics, which can definitely help to familiarize more people to the subject without being too overbearing or complicated. Science Now and NOVA seem like a great way to keep informed in a way that can be interesting and captivating even for those not within the discipline, which I think is very important, because it allows people with widely different interest can come together and appreciate a common topic. I think Kelly's goal of opening up physics to more people is really well focused especially with the aid of technology. I am wondering if she has any ideas in regards to furthering this goal, how could you reach out through technology to make physics more exciting and relatable to an average person. My thoughts are: even more interactive websites like NOVA, and maybe even blogging.
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