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Science Bulletins
Produced by
Video and Visualization to Communicate Current Geoscience
at Museums and Science Centers PA33A-1986 Abstract no. 1484547
Authors Laura Allen (program contact: 212-313-7237, laura@amnh.org, www.amnh.org/explore/science-bulletins), Vivian Trakinski , Ned Gardiner , Susan Foutz , Dan Pisut
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Science Bulletins, American Museum of Natural History, New York, NY Climate Program Office, NOAA, Asheville, NC
Abstract
Science Bulletins, a current-science video exhibition program
produced by the American Museum of Natural History,
communicates scientific concepts and results to a wide public and
educator audience. A series of Science Bulletins media, which is
funded by a NOAA Environmental Literacy Grant and developed
in collaboration with scientists, mixes data visualization, video, and
non-narrated text to highlight recent issues and findings relevant to
short- and long-term change in the Earth system. Several of the pieces
have been evaluated with audiences to assess learning outcomes and
improve practices.
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Susan G. Foutz, Annapolis, MD
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Environmental Visualization Laboratory, NOAA, Silver Spring, MD
Summary of Program Activities
Overall Literacy Goals
Overall Program Goals
Evaluation
•Produce 12 HD visualizations on atmospheric, oceanic, and biotic
phenomena (DataViz)
•Produce biweekly HD visualizations of weather and climate
phenomena (Weather and Climate Events)
•Develop supportive educational resources
•Exhibit media in AMNH halls, other science centers and
institutions, and online
•Distribute media assets for display on NOAA’s Science on a Sphere®
•Develop professional development webinars to enhance media use
•Earth systems are dynamic.
•Earth systems show natural seasonal variations, annual fluctuations,
and long-term patterns.
•Some changes in Earth systems can be tied to human activity.
•Scientists use satellites to collect global data that provide evidence of
change in Earth systems.
•Data is used to document past and current change in Earth systems
and to project future change.
•To foster literacy in key atmospheric and biospheric topics among
museum and online learners and educators
•To enhance the experience and efficacy of data visualizations as tools
to understand and build stewardship of Earth systems
Susan Foutz (formerly with the Institute for Learning Innovation) is
serving as the external evaluator for the three-year life of the project.
Foutz has conducted formative evaluation of selected visualizations
and webinars produced in Years 1 and 2, and will conduct summative
evaluation of the program in Year 3. The formative evaluations, which
entailed focus groups of museum visitors assessing draft versions of
the visualizations, informed final revisions.
Effective science visualization for the public: Tools & Tips (supported by evaluation)
Case study: Protecting Wildlife in a Changing Climate (3:34)
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Some key findings:
•The visualizations are broadly effective at communicating their main
literacy goals.
•The videos rated well among visitors in 11 key areas (see below).
•Evaluated visitors consistently viewed museum-produced media as
more trustworthy than mainstream media.
•About two-thirds of evaluated visitors made larger connections
about global systems or were more curious about these connections.
•Opening data-heavy visualizations with video footage makes “entry”
into the visualization easier and more engaging for visitors.
•Most evaluated visitors recognized that the visualizations used real
scientific data.
Table 1: Participants’ Ratings of the Visualizations (n=75)
Use brief, direct text
Non-narrated productions need short, clear
text that supports the visuals.
Frame 7
Colorize data meaningfully
Resonate with video
Live-action video fosters emotional connections When colorizing data for a public audience, use
to the subject and balances data-heavy sections. colors that have logical, inherent meaning (e.g.
blue=cold, red=warm, green=vegetated).
Frame 8
Frame 9
Minimize eye wander
Avoid scattering text in disparate areas of the
screen—group it instead. Place annotations
near the annotated visual; place captions in a
consistent region.
Frame 10
Mix media
Mingle live-action video, photos, and diagrams
to bring abstract subjects to life.
Frame 11
Clarify through labeling
For the public, translate technical annotations
into plain language. (The scientific term for
the yellow dataset is “bioclimatic envelope”;
translated, it’s “prime habitat”.)
Frame 12
Rating Categories
Mean
SD
Vocabulary (1=Too Simple,4=Just Right, 7=Too Difficult)
4.5
1.031
Pacing (1=Too Slow,4=Just Right, 7=Too Fast)
4.3
1.136
Content (1=Too Basic,4=Just Right, 7=Too Advanced)
4.1
1.112
Information (1=Not at all familiar, 7=Extremely familiar)
4.1
1.668
Length (1=Too Short,4=Just Right, 7=Too Long)
4.0
.900
There were statistically significant differences between how adults and children/teens rated the following aspects:
• Length: Children/teens tended to rate the length of the viz higher than adults (Mann-Whitney U=241.5, Z=-3.919, p<.01).
• Vocabulary: Children/teens tended to rate the vocabulary of the viz higher than adults (Mann-Whitney U=285.5, Z=-3.471, p<.01).
Table 2: Participants’ Ratings of Aspects of the Visualizations’ Content
(Scale: 1= Not at All, 7=Very)
Rating Questions
N
Mean SD
Did you think the information in the video is based on current scientific
research?**
26
5.6
1.065
Trustworthiness of the information in the video*
48
5.0
1.384
How interesting was the information in the video?
75
4.9
1.570
Did the video inspire you to think differently about the topic?**
26
4.3
1.738
How relevant to your life was the information in the video?
75
4.2
1.523
How ‘cutting edge’ was the information in the video?*
49
4.0
1.369
*Asked in the SST and NPP study only. ** Asked in the wolverine study only.
Distribution venues
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Use time series judiciously
Series are useful to show change over time.
Use contrasting colors, careful timing, and
annotations to ensure viewers notice the
changes you want them to see.
Use color logically
Make labels the same color as the data they
describe.
Use comparisons
When complex, slow down
Side-by-side comparisons are quite effective at
At points of complexity, pace the appearance of
revealing change. Unlike animated time series,
text and imagery more slowly and deliberately.
image pairs or trios presented concurrently
afford viewers more time to evaluate the change.
Mix brights and neutrals
To call out particular data, use bright colors
against a neutral background.
End where you began
To sew up the narrative, connect your ending
point to your opening point.
• Johns Hopkins University
• Science World at TELUS
World of Science
• Frank H. McClung Museum • North Carolina Museum of
• Gateway to NOAA
Natural Sciences
• NOAA Science on a Sphere • Putnam Museum
• Illinois State Museum
• Science Museum of
• Mississippi Museum of
Minnesota
Natural Sciences
• South Florida Museum
• NCAR
• Petrosains
Former assistant secretary of NOAA Larry Robinson watches
a Science Bulletins screen at the Gateway to NOAA visitors’
center in Silver Spring, Maryland.
To add your institution to this list, speak with Laura Allen or write laura@amnh.org.