The Other Kind of Rock: Diversifying Geosciences Outreach with some Tools from Rock n' Roll

Abstract:

Music can communicate science at times when words and graphs fail. For this reason, earth scientists are increasingly using sounds and rhythms to capture the public’s imagination while demonstrating technical concepts and sharing the societal impacts of their research. Musical approaches reach across the boundaries of perceptual learning style, age, gender, and life history. Music therefore makes science (and scientists) more approachable to a wide range of people. But in addition to its unique power for engaging diverse audiences, music-based outreach also sets an example for the geosciences’ untapped potential as a public empowerment tool. Like many STEM fields, the music industry has long been criticized for poor inclusion of women and minorities. Rock n’ roll camps for girls are answering this challenge by teaching music as a vessel for empowerment, with principles that can easily be adapted to geoscience outreach and education. The process of observing the planet is innately empowering; outreach programs that emphasize this in their design will take their impacts to the next level.

Just as diversity in the scientific community benefits geoscience, geoscience also benefits diverse communities. This presentation will outline some principles and applications from the music world to achieving both of these aims.