UNAM
Revista Digital Universitaria
Revista Digital Universitaria ISSN: 1607 - 6079 | Publicación mensual | 1 de marzo de 2014 vol.15, No.03

ABSTRACT

Science museums, spaces for interpersonal science communication



María del Carmen Sánchez Mora


Interactive Science Museums are a new medium to communicate science, which can generate science literacy among their visitors. To fulfill this task, this kind of museums display science related objects and specially built exhibits, to show science phenomena and processes. Such exhibits are supposed to be interactive, meaning that they allow a conceptual feedback with their users. Nevertheless, considering that this characteristic has not been absolutely achieved, because of the difficulties to adapt the museum’s science discourse to the great variety of visitors, it has been necessary to relay on mediators capable of establishing an interpersonal relationship with diverse publics. In this article the museum mediator’s task is reviewed along with the description of the characteristics that make them useful communicative resources in the museum. Also the educational requirements to prepare them as true intermediates between the Science presented by the museum and their visitors are discussed.



Keywords: Science Communication, mediation, informal education, museum guides, interactivity.