SCIENZAPERTA: EARTH SCIENCE FOR EVERYONE... FINALLY IN MILAN!

ScienzAperta is an outreach science venue that the Istituto Nazionale di Geofisica e Vulcanologia started in 2011 as the spring of science: the doors of the headquarters of science were finally opened to public. A number of events, conferences, seminars, guided tours through the Institute and its laboratories are every year offered to general public. The venue is held in most of the cities where the Institute is located, priority to high seismic and/or volcanic risk regions. On May 2014 we held ScienzAperta for the first time in Milano and open up the doors to schools specifically dealing mostly with seismic hazard in a region where general public not necessarily think it might We offered students conferences, seminars and educational activities to highlight the fun of science and jet raise awareness on proper behaviours in case of earthquake shaking. We asked students and teachers, from elementary to high schools, to fill in a questionnaire that we use to evaluate the appreciation the venue had. One hundred years after Giuseppe Mercalli’s death we could not forget to celebrate his science the city where he was born.UnpublishedMilano3T. Pericolosità sismica e contributo alla definizione del rischiorestricte

The Tree of Natural Hazard Education

Natural hazards are often thought as being, beside a difficult issue, a major problem forcing the community to deal with the economic and social development. For this reason they require specific actions tailored environment. It is fundamental to build a ground to rely on when dealing with the governance of a territory and when the economic factors intersect scientific knowledge and available technical solutions. Science could usefully focus on simple, clear and yet accurate information. The social projection of natural disaters is not just the faith of careless attitude towards hazard as it might get strongly influenced by emotions event close in time. On the other end people might misperceive risks ineffectively choose recovery over prevention, when the latter is proved to be far less costly. There is a general mindset of people towards a culture of prevention and the relationship established between the concepts of hazard and disaster, as if one would automatically always turn into the other nature curse towards which humans have no power. There is much of emotions involving hazards response so that to be effective education should not only convey information in strictu sense (to explain natural phenomena and their causes), but drives the through interpersonal skills and explicitly use the language of emotions (and in particular the positive ones, eg. reassurance, confidence, serenity, optimism, etc... ). The Istituto Nazionale di Geofisica e Vulcanologia is a scientific institution monitoring of geophysical phenomena through networks of technologically advanced equipment which approach outreach and dissemination of scientific culture through publications for schools and web pages, exhibitions, special venues and open-­days. We envisage a virtual tree of natural hazard education where science actively interacts with general public to implant awareness on the urge of science knowledge in modern society when it comes to help independent opinions or participate to crucial decisions. Here we display on a tree several ways of doing outreach and education towards natural hazards. Activities encompass volcanic, seismic, hydrogeological hazard and risk education to explore and understand natural processes lying behind the hazard. The general concept of risk is also exploited, where teachers will have to think on what could be the actions to be taken to avoid risks, weather there are risks we are willing to take, what we think we cannot avoid and, above all, how do we behave facing a risky definitely remark the link between inhabitants and their land emphasizing on the sense of responsibility towards land preservation.PublishedMilano6A. Monitoraggio ambientale, sicurezza e territoriorestricte

The Tree of Natural Hazard Education

Natural hazards are often thought as being, beside a difficult issue, a major problem forcing the community to deal with the economic and social development. For this reason they require specific actions tailored environment. It is fundamental to build a ground to rely on when dealing with the governance of a territory and when the economic factors intersect scientific knowledge and available technical solutions. Science could usefully focus on simple, clear and yet accurate information. The social projection of natural disaters is not just the faith of careless attitude towards hazard as it might get strongly influenced by emotions event close in time. On the other end people might misperceive risks ineffectively choose recovery over prevention, when the latter is proved to be far less costly. There is a general mindset of people towards a culture of prevention and the relationship established between the concepts of hazard and disaster, as if one would automatically always turn into the other nature curse towards which humans have no power. There is much of emotions involving hazards response so that to be effective education should not only convey information in strictu sense (to explain natural phenomena and their causes), but drives the through interpersonal skills and explicitly use the language of emotions (and in particular the positive ones, eg. reassurance, confidence, serenity, optimism, etc... ). The Istituto Nazionale di Geofisica e Vulcanologia is a scientific institution monitoring of geophysical phenomena through networks of technologically advanced equipment which approach outreach and dissemination of scientific culture through publications for schools and web pages, exhibitions, special venues and open-­days. We envisage a virtual tree of natural hazard education where science actively interacts with general public to implant awareness on the urge of science knowledge in modern society when it comes to help independent opinions or participate to crucial decisions. Here we display on a tree several ways of doing outreach and education towards natural hazards. Activities encompass volcanic, seismic, hydrogeological hazard and risk education to explore and understand natural processes lying behind the hazard. The general concept of risk is also exploited, where teachers will have to think on what could be the actions to be taken to avoid risks, weather there are risks we are willing to take, what we think we cannot avoid and, above all, how do we behave facing a risky definitely remark the link between inhabitants and their land emphasizing on the sense of responsibility towards land preservation

The trust of Italian students in geoscientists: a quantitative pilot study

If the Layman is to fulfil his responsibility as a citizen in this globalized modern society he will have to know about science in an understandable form. Geosciences may deeply impact on everyday lives as it relates hazards. However there is a stringent paradox that drives to underestimate the potential of Geosciences to help people live with natural hazards, take decision towards land use and vulnerability of infrastructures. argue that one of the reasons for geoscience not playing a major role in modern society is due to incomplete or inefficient communication and the consequent lack of trust of citizens toward geoscientists. students represent a specific kind of Layman as they are close to become “adult” citizen entitled to take decisions or contribute to them. In this study we present the results of a poll conducted on high school students (age 14-­19) aiming at estimating the trust of the young Italian citizens in the geoscientists and their studies. The sample refers Italy, in areas prone to natural hazards from low to moderate intensity. Although limited to about 180 students and then not representative of the whole nation, the information, collected directly in schools before or laboratories, can be used for a rough picture of level of trust of a part of the society towards the Geosciences. The poll contained very few questions, the form in fact was organized in three sections only. The first to collect age and region of the compilers, the second to know about the sources students usually use catastrophes and natural phenomena and the last aiming at estimating the trust towards the scientists and their studies. First results show that, students get their information mainly from the internet (about 60%) in its various forms (social media, Wikipedia) and TV (31%). However newspapers (17%) and schools (10%) significant fraction of sources of information. In regard to the trust in science, some 87% believe that scientists are reliable but only 73% consider their research also useful. Only less than 5% declare that both scientists and their studies are not reliable and Finally, about 75 % of the sample believe in the potential of future studies in Geoscience to help the society face natural catastrophes. It must be remarked that the regions where the poll took place were not hit by main earthquakes in the last years. However the pool is part of an ongoing research that will include regions prone to higher hazards and recently hit by earthquakes, which will allow to compare the relationship between preparedness, hazard and the role of scientists in different contexts. Additionally, it would be necessary to estimate introduced by the fact that the poll, although anonymous, is conducted before a scientific talk given by scientists. This may in fact introduce a sort of “respect” that could in turn influence the answers. For this to propose the questionnaire to schools that had no relationships with geoscientists in the last five years.PublishedMilano3T. Pericolosità sismica e contributo alla definizione del rischiorestricte

SCIENZAPERTA: EARTH SCIENCE FOR EVERYONE... FINALLY IN MILAN!

ScienzAperta is an outreach science venue that the Istituto Nazionale di Geofisica e Vulcanologia started in 2011 as the spring of science: the doors of the headquarters of science were finally opened to public. A number of events, conferences, seminars, guided tours through the Institute and its laboratories are every year offered to general public. The venue is held in most of the cities where the Institute is located, priority to high seismic and/or volcanic risk regions. On May 2014 we held ScienzAperta for the first time in Milano and open up the doors to schools specifically dealing mostly with seismic hazard in a region where general public not necessarily think it might We offered students conferences, seminars and educational activities to highlight the fun of science and jet raise awareness on proper behaviours in case of earthquake shaking. We asked students and teachers, from elementary to high schools, to fill in a questionnaire that we use to evaluate the appreciation the venue had. One hundred years after Giuseppe Mercalli’s death we could not forget to celebrate his science the city where he was born