Shaw-IAU Workshops by the OAE

Artificial Light at Night (ALAN) acts as a pervasive form of pollution yet often goes unnoticed by the general public. In an effort to determine how to increase children’s interest in reducing ALAN, we presented one of two planetarium shows to 52 families. Show A was designed with local narrative and interactive elements; Show B presented the same content without the personalized narrative elements. Analysis of pre/post surveys indicates children from both groups showed a significant increase in awareness of ALAN and motivation to make changes to reduce light pollution. Some measures suggested greater improvement from children in Show A, but those differences were not significant. Findings indicate planetarium education improves children’s investment in and concern for the issue.

About Elise Abbott

Elise Abbott is an undergraduate student at The Pennsylvania State University, double-majoring in Planetary Science & Astronomy and Psychology. Her research interests include science communication and narrative learning.