In a recent paper published in Polar Journal, a group of authors led by Rhian Salmon and including APECS director Jenny Baeseman and other APECS members and mentors report on the enormous efforts and first results of the activities during the International Polar Year 2007-2008 creating a global polar community of scientists, educators and communicators, and the general public. Below two quotes from the authors:
“The publication of a peer-reviewed article about the education, outreach and communication efforts of a science community is a first step in exploring ways that scientists can gain professional recognition for the huge amount of 'voluntary' work that they do in this area. By creating an opportunity for this work to be recognized either in a publication or at a conference, the field of public engagement itself will also become more professional, better evaluated, and of further use to the community at large. We, as scientists, need to recognize the reality of public engagement as a real component of our jobs in this decade, and to therefore give it the professional attention which we do to all other areas of our work. Two important parts of this are learning from others, and sharing our own experiences.” - Rhian Salmon
“Science needs public engagement, and scientists need training, partnerships and professional recognition for education, outreach and communication. The IPY focus on communication hand-in-hand with research stimulated a burst of ideas and experience for science communication and global collaboration among researchers and educators. This new publication "Education, outreach and communication during the International Polar Year 2007-2008: stimulating a global polar community" by Salmon et al. reports on that enormous volunteer effort and represents an important step in thanking those participants and establishing recognition for those activities.” - David Carlson
The paper can be accessed here: http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/2154896X.2011.626629
R. A. Salmon, Carlson, D. J., Zicus, S., Pauls, M., Baeseman, J., Sparrow, E. B., Edwards, K., Almeida, M. H., Huffman, L. T., Kolset, T., Malherbe, R. J. H., McCaffrey, M. S., Munro, N. A. L., de Pomereu, J., Provencher, J., Rahman-Sinclair, K. A., Raymond, M. (2011): Education, outreach and communication during the International Polar Year 2007-2008: stimulating a global polar community. The Polar Journal, Vol. 1, No. 2, p. 265-285.
