Global warming is an issue of increasing relevance and the Association of Science-Technology Centers (ASTC) is striving to improve public awareness on the subject. The group recently appointed the Reuben H. Fleet Science Center’s executive director as chair of its education committee to forward the initiative, “International action on GLObal warming” (IGLO).
Dr. Jeffrey W. Kirsch described his new appointment as “responsible for overall coordination of the activities that ASTC will be doing with respect to global warming.”
Primarily, it was his experience making Image Maximum (IMAX) films for the Reuben H. Fleet Science Center that catapulted Kirsch into his role with the ASTC, as other committee members were chosen for their general science center knowledge. He is also co-chair of ASTC’s International Advisory Board.
“It’s a good fit,” he said.
The committee also has a group of volunteers around the world that will effectively develop public programs and resources. Overall, the committee will help increase awareness and understanding of the global issue, Kirsch said.
He added that March 2007 marks the start of International Polar Year (IPY).
“In this case, we’ve got things going on in our polar regions which are imitating a kind of an underestimation of the global warming effects that we’re experiencing as a planet,” Kirsch said, adding that the IGLO project will support IPY with the hopes that everyone around the world will take notice.
“IPY is going to be much bigger, much better known by the general public than any other of that kind before,” said Walter Staveloz, director of international relations for ASTC.
Many people were not aware, for example, that 2005 was the year of Einstein, Staveloz said, adding that he thinks IPY will be much more widely recognized.
This recognition may come from one or more large films about the polar regions that will be available in the next year or two. These films will take people on trips to the poles and allow viewers to “visualize things that are happening on a global scale that you can’t see in any other medium,” Kirsch said.
In addition to films, Kirsch’s committee and other members of ASTC developed a list of projects to support IPY and IGLO efforts. They plan to work with the Scripps Institution of Oceanography and the Birch Aquarium to create an exhibit about global warming. They also developed the concept of an educational “toolkit.”
“The idea is to provide a series of events, resources and means of transmitting information from one group to another,” Kirsch said of the toolkit.
The dissemination of information will help people understand the global nature of current research and, on another level, provide a point of contact for various research efforts and their implications. The idea is to make the point of contact available to a small town in Iowa or a larger city like San Diego.
Along this same idea, the Reuben H. Fleet Science Center maintains a monthly science monitor that focuses on astronomy, global warming, educational pedagogy at science centers and general things having to do with molecular biology. Projects like the science monitor make “the Fleet” qualified to be an active member organization of ASTC. Kirsch said that part of the criteria for his selection was his role as executive director of an active, voting-member organization of ASTC.
However, his passion for science education and communication likely also played a role.
“I really love working in science communications and trying to help the public understand better what [is] going on in the world,” he said.
As future IMAX films on global warming are featured at the Fleet, San Diegans will have a firsthand glimpse into a small part of Kirsch’s contributions to science communication. It is behind the scenes as ASTC committee’s co-chair where Kirsch will do most his influential work ” striving for high quality science awareness globally.
For more information on the ASTC, visit www.astc.org. For more on the Fleet, call (619) 238-1233 or visit www.rhfleet.org.