If you can’t explain it simply, you don’t understand it well enough.

Albert Einstein

Communicating science is one of the most important things we do at the Sitka Sound Science Center. Science communication stands at the crossroads of scientific research and science education. Without communicating new understandings, the science endeavor is not shared with society. Excellent science communication can capture the imagination: sparking meaningful debate and discussion whether this is among kindergarten students, in the halls of Congress or among friends at the dining room table. As Jane Goodall once said, “only if we understand will we care.”

Sitka Sound Science Center works to communicate science in many ways. Sitka WhaleFest and the Natural History Seminar Series are venues for scientists to speak about current research. SSSC also helps scientists communicate their work by providing formal science communication training. We also work in and out of the schools to help students understand scientific concepts, the scientific process and why scientific thinking is unique. Through our programs, Scientists in Residency Fellowship, Sitka WhaleFest, Scientists in the Schools, and our hands-on learning tools like the Molly O Ahlgren Aquarium and the Sheldon Jackson Hatchery we are hoping to create a “Culture of Science” for our community, where residents and visitors learn to verify and validate, to think critically, and problem-solve. This culture of science means we will have a more informed and better prepared electorate that can analyze information and use critical curiosity to impact policies on a government level and decisions on a daily and local level.