From the American Academy of Arts & Sciences comes Encountering Science in America, a report released in February 2019. The Public Face of Science, an on-going project of the American Academy, recently released this follow-up report to Perceptions of Science in America (featured in the 3-22-2019 Scout Report). Encountering Science in America aims to "improve understanding and awareness of this complex landscape of encounters with science among communities interested in participating in or supporting the practices of science communication and engagement." The report's major takeaways indicate that while today's society has a growing range of diverse opportunities to encounter science outside the classroom, both digitally and in person, relatively little is currently known about the cumulative impacts of those informal engagements or about what motivates people to participate in science- and STEM-oriented activities. This shows that more social science research is needed, so that science outreach practitioners, such as those from museums, national parks, and online initiatives, can achieve greater societal impacts. Here, interested readers may view the complete report online or download it as a 48-page PDF. PowerPoint slides and JPEG files of the report's figures are also available to download.
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