2.1

Suma Ciencia International Day of Light

The event “Suma Ciencia IDL” was divided into 2 sessions, one for formal based in “Dumpster Optics”³ and other for informal education based in project “Optics 4 every1”.¹ In the formal education, the attendees were teachers from elementary and secondary school. For the informal education, the attendees were mainly families walking around downtown and others followers from the facebook page.

The figure 1 shows the formal session, it shows teachers using the material for the chapter of shadows. Before this session, a survey was applied using the app Plickers^© to gather the information. The survey applied was the “Beliefs About Science and School Science Questionnaire (BASSSQ)”.² The teachers had a good time answering the survey, and the answers were collected immediately. This app will be used in the future to gather more information. This first experience using the app was excellent and recommendable.

Figure 1.

Dumpster optics in Mexico. This session was a formal education event focused on teachers at Monterrey, Mexico. This adapted version to Spanish of Dumpster Optics by Judith Donnelly.³

During the informal session, many resources were used to make it interesting to pedestrians, as the groups experience, a cartel or image is not enough. The figure 2 shows an excellent resource to promote the event on site, this is an old 3D technique using ChromaDepth^® glasses and chalk; here, the Digital Art Student Club worked hard to draw something allusive to the International Day of Light. This work attracted many pedestrians to the main event that was inside the building. A lot of this kind of resources are used to promote the events, as a water rocket or even mimes, specifically this was really cheap and very attractive, and it teaches about the stereoscopic vision and invite to the pedestrians if they want to learn more of how it works they can visit other stands as shown in figure 3. This stand can be a beneficial activity due to is not expensive, is impressive and have an educational purpose.

Figure 2.

The group proposed a simple and fascinating activity outside the building. The collaboration with The Digital Arts Student Club, they draw with chalk outside the building an optics-related image to use with ChromaDepth^® glasses. Many people ask for glasses because the volunteers draw the indication with chalk; also the staff was identified with vests. This stand is a low-cost, great impact activity to fascinate pedestrians and invite them to the modules inside the building.

Figure 3.

The event was divided into stands. The building has a much longer space to distribute visitors, so the event had specific modules. However, keep in mind the objective of the event, although the use other material not related with optics, the modules are related in a way the visitor can go from the basic to complex topics as they walk inside the building.

The figure 4 shows another student group, the Theater Student Club “Laboratorio Kabblam”. This show something that is working well in the group, the collaboration, some of these students are not studying physics or optics directly, but they have the willingness to help and show some material related with optics and photonics. Since the group collaborates with other groups as the Digital Art Student Club and the Theater Student Club were both groups have benefits, both have increased the people reached and the number of public activities performed of the year, but also, experience to reach people, see people reactions and what is more interesting to people.

Figure 4.

The group collaborates with other groups. This image shows a few members of the theater club, although they do not study optics, they can act, talk, invite pedestrians so easily and naturally to the event and they have the willingness to help in the events. Here, the group supply the mirrors and other materials, and the club loves the material and the reaction of the people.

During the informal session, there was a room full of neon lights as shown in figure 5, this particular room was inspired by an activity performed at the International Year of Light Closing event. This room was filled with neon lights, and people stayed there for a long time, there was only one entrance from this room, and there were chairs for the parents. Kids loved this activity and stayed there for an extended period playing with neon lights, some of them were artistic. This session had many pictures not showing in the figures. This activity was expensive compared with other activities but was the most liked activity, and many people were in line to enter the room. The group usually do an expensive but attractive activity everyone wants to do, usually, in the groups’ events, there is something unique even if is expensive, this guarantees a fan, and maybe he or she will return to the public events.

Figure 5.

Neon lights. An activity to everyone is something the attendants can play with like the neon lights. This was a significant activity inspired by an event at the closing of the International Year of light 2015.

In summary, promote the event with a STEAM activity, doing so will reach many people. Collaborate with other groups, even if they are not related to optics or photonics. Make an artistic or inspiring stand that everyone wants to visit.

2.2

Surveys

There were two kinds of surveys applied, one for formal and other for informal education. This event is not the first time the group does surveys on the events. The primary objective was to reduce the time spent in a survey and reduce the time capturing the answers because in the past the group tried different methods and it took much time doing and capturing the answers. The table 1 show both surveys achieved this.

Table 1.

Survey information. It took less than 1 minute per person to answer a survey of 7 Likert questions. Moreover, the formal education can receive easily up to 63 surveys instead of 36 at the same time.

For the formal education, the app Plickers^© was used. This free application is based on personalized QR codes that identify each student, to answer, the student shows the code oriented on one of 4 sides, each side is an option, and the teacher reads the QR code with the application. The QR codes were printed, gave them to the teachers and then the survey was applied. This survey was anonymous, this is, only the card number is shown.

For the informal education survey, the group used another app, QuickTapSurvey, and was made person to person. This app is restricted with basic usability in the free version. This survey was used to detect the feelings of the attendants at the end of the event and measure what they think of the stands. The objective of this session was to teach optics, and the survey directly asks if they think they learned something.

Another feedback not reported is a survey person to person on the staff. This feedback is required to know the feelings of the staff, if they are comfortable with the activity, how they see the attendants reaction and what they can upgrade to the activity. The informal interview is a must to do and give great feedback to improve the activities, sometimes the upgrade implies costs but reduces the time the people spend in the stands and give the opportunity to reach more people in less time. Also, use the photos and videos of the event to see attendants reactions and the stands that have more affluence. Usually, the activities that have more reactions are the diffraction grating lenses, plasma ball, and electromagnetism; these are the favorites by the attendants and the staff. This measure is unreported because the staff is voluntary and they can have the feeling that they are being evaluated.