May 27–29, 2025
The project “This is (not) Rocket Science!” was part of the Public Communication of Science and Technology (PCST) Conference 2025!
This year the conference took place in Aberdeen (UK). Dr Eleanor S. Armstrong represented the workshops that formed the “Gender” section of the Rocket project. PCST is an international conference for practitioners and scholars in science communication – and it gave the TMW the chance to share its latest research with colleagues from around the world.
The presentation was part of the panel “Rethinking Models of Science-Society Relationships and the Implications for Social Justice” with scholars from London (UK), Dublin (IR), and Bengaluru (IN). Each shared a short version of projects they had led, showing how empowering citizen scientists in engagement can transform both the process and outcomes of science communication.
In the section on Rocket, the talk explained how the project shifted its focus from “women” to “gender.” It highlighted:
- how Rocket built on the museum’s wider “Focus Gender” initiatives,
- how the team included student citizen scientists, adult participants such as teachers, and internal stakeholders in this shift between frameworks,
- and how the longer-term nature of the project allowed for repeated touchpoints with the citizen scientists.
During the workshop, participants in the audience could engage with a specially created zine: “Towards Socially Just Sci-Comm: A Reflexive Zine.” It distilled some of the key messages of the talks and invited participants to reimagine their own work through guiding questions such as: “What constraints are there in achieving this shift in your work? How can you address them?”
After the session, many audience members reported that the workshop had been both helpful and stimulating, encouraging them to think about what a focus on gender could bring to citizen science in their institutions. People were also excited to see how the Rocket work had been showcased not only within the museum but also at the European Space Agency exhibition – a sign of how seriously the perspectives of student citizen scientists were taken.
After the session, many audience members reported that the workshop had been both helpful and stimulating, encouraging them to think about what a focus on gender could bring to citizen science in their institutions. People were also excited to see how the Rocket work had been showcased not only within the museum but also at the European Space Agency exhibition – a sign of how seriously the perspectives of student citizen scientists were taken.
It was truly rewarding to share the transformative ideas developed by the Rocket citizen scientists with colleagues worldwide. We hope these insights will inspire others in their own work with young people!
