Connecting With Cornell
[NEWS from the Office of the Vice Provost]

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At Cornell

Science at Wilson Laboratory
 

Increasing Understanding, Eliminating Apprehension

Lora Hines, Ernest Fontes

Cornell University not only has a reputation as a leading research institution, but the university has also demonstrated its commitment to science, mathematics, and engineering outreach and education. Wilson Lab embraces efforts that promote science literacy and a broader impact for research conducted at the facility. Outreach encompasses a wide range of activities that teach nonscientists about the approachability and excitement of science and technology at Wilson Lab.

The lab ’s organized outreach program creates age-appropriate educational activities for the general public, students in grades K–12, undergraduates, and science teachers. Wilson Lab aims to help people see and do science, thereby increasing their understanding of science and eliminating apprehensions. The Wilson Lab staff enjoys sharing their stories and perspectives on why and how scientists do their jobs.

More than 1,000 people visit the synchrotron tunnel, CLEO detector, and CHESS x-ray stations of Wilson Lab each year. These organized tours offer people of all ages—from ambitious elementary school students to alumni during Cornell alumni weekends to curious members of the general public—the opportunity to see this unusual scientific complex firsthand. Most find excitement among the miles of twisted wire, pipes, and plumbing. Cornell alumni often marvel at how little they knew about what went on beneath the athletic fields during their undergraduate years.

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“Outreach encompasses a wide range of activities that teach nonscientists about the approachability and excitement of science and technology at Wilson Lab.”