Year of Science 2009 Kicks Off this Week Across the Nation
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Sheri Potter (e-mail: spotter@copusproject.org;
telephone:
941-923-6320)
Judy Scotchmoor (e-mail: jscotch@berkeley.edu;
telephone: 510-642-4877)
The Coalition on the Public Understanding of Science (COPUS) kicked off
Year of Science 2009 (YoS2009) -- a national, yearlong, grassroots
celebration--this week in Boston at the annual meeting of the Society
for Integrative and Comparative Biology. COPUS, which represents more
than 500 organizations, is celebrating how science works, who
scientists are, and why science matters. Ira Flatow, host of Science
Friday, broadcast every week on National Public Radio, launched the
week’s events with a plenary presentation encouraging scientists to get
involved in communicating and sharing the excitement of science at
every opportunity.
Flatow said: “If you don’t stand up for science, then no one else is
going to do it. We as journalists and scientists have to figure out
ways to share science in plain English whenever possible.” This call to
action is what drives YoS2009: it is a call for scientists to step out
of their laboratories and into the public eye.
COPUS participants—museums, federal agencies, K–12 schools,
universities, scientific societies, and nonprofit and for-profit
organizations from all 50 states and 13 countries—will host events in
celebration of YoS2009. Regionally connected COPUS participants are
bringing science to their local communities in innovative ways. Some of
the activities taking place in different regions of the country are
described below.
Florida
Charlie Crist of Florida was the first governor to issue a statewide
proclamation of YoS2009. The proclamation will be formally presented in
an event bringing together representatives from the Girl Scouts, local
schools, the National Football League’s (NFL) Environmental Program,
and Florida’s Division of Forestry, among many other diverse
organizations, in a day of celebrating science through hands-on
activities showcasing rich and diverse science resources.
Washington, DC
The nation’s capital will be the site of a week-long “Meet the
Scientist” effort in which leading scientists will go to schools,
community groups, and science festivals to share their science with the
general public and explain how they know what they know about science.
Berkeley, California
The University of California (UC) Berkeley maintains the Web site
Science@Cal (http://scienceatcal.berkeley.edu)
to promote the depth and
breadth of science on campus. The site highlights opportunities for the
public to meet UC scientists at the East Bay Science Café. Also,
scientists can teach people how they do their work by hosting Flat
Stanley at their labs and institutions
(www.flatstanley.com/yearofscience2009/intro.htm).
Seattle, Washington
At Northwest School, the annual Winterfest celebration will highlight
YoS2009 themes with rocket launches, flaming chemistry demonstrations,
mousetrap cars, a play based on the Fibonacci number series, Rube
Goldberg machines, and more!
Nationally
A special Web site (www.yearofscience2009.org)
will help the general
public learn more about this yearlong, national event. The site will
feature a different scientific theme each month, complemented by blogs
from scientists and science communicators about those topics and their
fields of expertise. Highlights from the dynamic YoS2009 Web site
include the integration of components from the newly launched
Understanding Science Web site (www.understandingscience.org),
Flat
Stanley explorations of science, the opportunity to name a new species
of jellyfish or adopt a species for the Encyclopedia of Life, and a
contest to build the most scientific pizza.
All of these events and activities foster innovative new partnerships
that will bring science and the public closer together locally,
regionally, and nationally—all in a growing celebration of science!
Rita Colwell, former director of the National Science Foundation,
states: "In this Year of Science 2009, scientists around the globe
collectively are shining a spotlight on their work to highlight the
achievements of modern science in the public square. This year provides
a special opportunity to be optimistic and express hope for a better
future. Through their passion and dedication, scientists and
nonscientists alike are able to share in the thrill of scientific
discovery.”
COPUS, which began with support from the National Science Foundation,
has grown to be an inclusive grassroots endeavor spurring communication
and collaboration in the scientific community while shining the
spotlight on science in 2009. Still growing, the COPUS network of more
than 500 organizations includes a broad range of participants from
large federal agencies such as the National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration and the Environmental Protection Agency to local groups
such as the Banana Slug String Band from Santa Cruz, California, and
TalkingScience, a New York City nonprofit that is organizing a “Rock-it
Science” concert in 2009. Major sponsors of the Year of Science 2009
include the American Institute of Biological Sciences, the University
of California Museum of Paleontology, the Geological Society of
America, and the National Science Teachers Association. To register as
a participant or to learn more, visit www.copusproject.org.
For more information about COPUS and the Year of Science 2009, please
visit
• www.copusproject.org
• www.yearofscience2009.org
• http://blogs.aibs.org/copus/
About COPUS
Support for COPUS planning workshops was provided by the National
Science Foundation under grant nos. EAR-0606600, EAR-0628790, and
EAR-0814048 to the University of California Museum of Paleontology. The
cognizant fiduciary body for COPUS and the Year of Science 2009 project
is the American Institute of Biological Sciences
Inc., a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, which is providing staffing
support and IT and other
resources. The Geological Society of America, the University of
California Museum of Paleontology, and the National Science Teachers
Association are also contributing funds for COPUS and Year of Science
2009.
Year of Science sponsorship opportunities are available now! For more
information, contact Sheri Potter (e-mail: spotter@copusproject.org).