Spreading science love - Guest blog post by Vanessa Hill

In the second of what I hope will be many guest blog posts, Vanessa Hill talks about her day job as an Education Officer with CSIRO Education in North Queensland.

Astronomy talk at Uluru Ayers Rock, 2010 

I think educators are learning junkies. It's a profession where each day is a continual learning process, creative process and sometimes doesn’t feel structured at all.

As a science educator, I have to be knowledgeable in areas outside my expertise and keep up with the latest research and developments. More so, I need to find a way to make this information accessible to a wide variety of people.

When you can make science accessible to a pre-schooler, high school student or adult, there’s a common indication that you’re doing a good job: “Oh, Wow!” The moment there is a spark of this appreciation in a member of your audience or squeals of awe from a primary school class, you know you have done your job.

From my perspective, science is simply amazing. To think we have launched and are communicating with a mad-made object at the edge of the Solar System is mind boggling. The fact that particle physics led us to build a 27 kilometre tunnel as deep as 175 metres below Switzerland is downright nuts.

For outreach educators like myself, our most important legacy is to leave an impression of this amazement beyond the hour or day we spend with a group. Better yet, we can share our perspectives. Carl Sagan once said, “Science is a way of thinking much more than it is a body of knowledge.” Education should focus on encouraging critical thinking, enquiry and discovery-based learning. Science educators should encourage creativity, as there is a creative process in finding problems as well as solving them.

Science outreach trip to Kokopo, Papua New Guinea, November 2011 

Through educating people of the wonders of the scientific world I’ve seen many wonders of our natural world. I’ve worked across different states, indigenous language groups and countries. I’ve been fortunate enough to work with children of all backgrounds, which can be the most rewarding experiences.

I like to think that the next generation of Scientists, Engineers and Mathematicians have watched my inflatable planetarium show and perfected my slime recipes. Perhaps it is these future sparks that leave an impression on me too. After a Lego Robotics workshop once, an eight year-old boy stood up in front of his class and asked, “Vanessa, can I take you home with me?”

Vanessa has previously worked with CSIRO Education in NSW and as the Astronomy Tours Manager of Ayers Rock Resort. On Twitter she is @NessyHill and she blogs at http://www.overtheroygbiv.com (that's Over The Rainbow - Google it.)