Physics – Geophysics
Scientific paper
Dec 2004
adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=2004agufm.s53b0215s&link_type=abstract
American Geophysical Union, Fall Meeting 2004, abstract #S53B-0215
Physics
Geophysics
7230 Seismicity And Seismotectonics, 0815 Informal Education, 0840 Evaluation And Assessment
Scientific paper
IRIS data has had an important impact on the public understanding of geophysics as well as on research advances. One example of this is the IRIS/USGS museum display program, where 16 million museum visitors per year can view near-real-time earthquake locations and ground motions. An evaluation of displays at the American Museum of Natural History in New York City (AMNH) and the Smithsonian Institution National Museum of Natural History in Washington, DC (NMNH) was conducted in the summer of 2004 to assess the display's ability to increase the public's understanding of seismology and to determine how the displays might be improved. The evaluation involved tracking and timing museum visitors to see what attracted them and what held their attention. The tracking and timing was conducted within a single gallery in both museums. Visitors were also interviewed in order to learn what they liked and disliked about the display, and to assess what they learned about seismology. The results show that the IRIS/USGS display was the top attraction in both the AMNH and NMNH galleries (in terms of the percentage of visitors that stopped at the exhibit). It was also first at both galleries for cumulative visitor stop time (the sum of the time spent by all visitors) and in the total number of visitors counted in front of the display during random sweeps of the gallery. In both galleries, visitors were attracted to the display most often by the map on a large plasma monitor that shows the last 2 weeks of seismicity with alternating views of the of the world and the continental US. Smaller numbers of visitors were attracted by the triple-drum recorder. When asked what they liked about the display, the greatest number of visitors (31% at each museum) replied that they liked that it is real-time/up to date. Visitors also liked the map of recent earthquakes, the list of earthquakes on the small monitor and the triple drum. A large majority of the visitors were interested to know that similar information is available on-line. When asked what they found most interesting or surprising, the frequency of earthquakes was listed most often at both the AMNH (49%) and NMNH (54%). While the majority of visitors understood that the triple-drums display real-time information, they were less clear about what was being presented, with only 38% (NMNH) and 16% (AMNH) understanding that each drum can record earthquakes from all over the world. Small additions of contextual information could greatly increase visitor understanding of this part of the exhibit. The evaluation shows that the general public is interested in presentations of real-time earthquake activity that combine state-of-the-art plasma monitors and traditional mechanical displays. Interview responses show that the displays are successfully conveying the message of an active planet that is continually in motion.
Hubenthal Mark
Smith Marcie
Taber J. J.
No associations
LandOfFree
Providing Seismic Data to the Public: Evaluation and Impact of IRIS/USGS Museum Displays does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this scientific paper.
If you have personal experience with Providing Seismic Data to the Public: Evaluation and Impact of IRIS/USGS Museum Displays, we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Providing Seismic Data to the Public: Evaluation and Impact of IRIS/USGS Museum Displays will most certainly appreciate the feedback.
Profile ID: LFWR-SCP-O-1455023