Can a science café and a concert communicate global change concepts?

Abstract

A science café and a concert with a panel discussion were held with public audiences to communicate information about global change and ecosystem soundscapes. Both events were evaluated through: (i) post-event surveys to measure global change perceptions, awareness, and attitudes; (ii) skin biosensors to measure the engagement levels of a sub-group of attendees; and (iii) post-event interviews with the same sub-group to better understand their reflections on and their own enjoyment and engagement at each event. Results indicate both events were beneficial to attendees, but the combined concert and panel discussion event was more engaging and enjoyable for attendees.

Acknowledgments

The authors would like to thank Dr. Peter Askim, Rachel M. Atkins, Sarah Luginbuhl, Angel Ngo, and Adam Michalak for their help in project facilitation and data collection. This project was funded by Dr. Karen S. McNeal’s start-up funds at North Carolina State University.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.