Public Access

Secondary students join with the general public in access to research at the visitors' centres at observatories, planetaria and museums. The number of visitors each year is large: eg. Parkes Observatory reports 60 000, Narrabri 11 000, Perth Observatory 6200. It is important, therefore, that these centres display results from current research projects, perhaps by using a selection of poster papers from recent conferences.

My examples of Freeman and Gaensler show that books, newspapers, radio and TV are important media for stimulating students. In each year from 1990-1995 Australian astronomers wrote an average of 370 popular articles, books and public lectures plus some 900 press/radio/TV articles and interviews (Ekers et al., 1995). These channels may feature current research but do not have the same impact as a personal exchange between a student and the research astronomer.

© Copyright Astronomical Society of Australia 1997