For 10 years, The Tactile Universe project has created multi-sensory resources to give blind and low vision students more options for accessing astronomy. The project is well known for creating tactile images of galaxies, but from 2020 - 2023 we worked with local BLV students and gravitational wave researchers across the UK to co-create resources focusing on gravitational waves.

As well as creating a set of 3D printed and lower tech tactile resources for the first time, the team used sonifications alongside these.

I’ll show our new resources and discuss what different but complimentary information we've been able to communicate when combining touch and sound. I'll also show how these resources have allowed us to reinforce knowledge around core science topics in the school curriculum.

Biography:

Nic Bonne is a blind, French/Australian astronomer and Public Engagement and Outreach Fellow based in the UK at the University of Portsmouth's Institute of Cosmology and Gravitation. Since 2016, Nic has led the Tactile Universe public engagement project which is developing free multi-sensory resources to give the blind and low vision community more accessible ways to engage with current topics in astrophysics. Nic also consults on a number of other projects both nationally and internationally, helping others find ways to communicate their science in more accessible ways.