UNMC expands science literacy to Nebraskans of all ages.
To Kacie Gerard, it sounded like a good idea: Gather a group of people in a casual setting, maybe a bar, listen to an expert discuss an interesting scientific topic, then open it up for questions.
The manager of the Slowdown thought the concept was interesting. So one February night, neurosurgeon William Thorell, M.D., talked about brain aneurysms.
From that first event in 2009, it was a hit. Dr. Thorell’s presentation drew approximately 80 people. A neurologist’s follow-up presentation on how the brain works drew more than 200. UNMC’s Science Café was born.
This February, Steven Wengel, M.D., psychiatry chairman, presented on bipolar disorder, marking the fifth anniversary for the event, one of UNMC’s most successful science outreach efforts ever.
But Science Cafés aren’t the only way UNMC expands science literacy in Nebraska.
In April, UNMC will be the presenting sponsor of the second annual Nebraska Science Festival, with many of its colleges and departments represented by educational booths at the expo.
After a first year that drew more than 2,000 people in Omaha, the Science Festival is expanding with more venues, more presenters, and a greater reach across Nebraska, with activities in Lincoln, Wayne, Ashland and Jansen.
Events that promote science literacy have evolved over time. From 1997 to 2008, UNMC sponsored the semiannual Mini-Medical School lectures that were broadcast across the state. Last year, Gerard was named the science outreach coordinator for UNMC and tasked with expanding the Science Festival and the Science Cafes while creating even more events.
“It gives me the opportunity to reach out to communities and develop new science outreach programs throughout the year,” she said.
For the Science Cafes, topics have run the gamut – sex, brain surgery, mental illness, dinosaurs, sleep apnea, asteroids, immunizations, suicide.
Although the cafe was envisioned as outreach to young professionals, Gerard said it has proved popular across all ages.
A similar event is held regularly in Lincoln, and UNMC-sponsored Science Cafes also have been held in Kearney, Scottsbluff and Nebraska City.
“The Science Cafes are specifically for adults,” Gerard said. “With the Science Festival, we aim for all ages. We definitely have specific activities geared to children and families, but this year we’ve added a lot of adult programming.”
Gerard thinks outside the box. With Omaha Community Playhouse officials, she developed two well-attended, post-performance discussion events.
When the playhouse mounted “Evil Dead: The Musical,” faculty of UNMC’s College of Public Health gave presentations on surviving a zombie apocalypse that was loaded with information on disaster preparedness, pandemics, biohazards and other public health topics.
And for the recent production of “Next to Normal,” a Pulitzer Prize-winning musical that features a character with bipolar disorder, UNMC experts discussed mental illness.
“It was a way to try something new and reach an audience that wouldn’t normally attend a science-related event,” she said.
In 2015, Gerard wants to move the Science Festival even further west, as well as create Science Cafes for high school students – though not in bars.
“There are a lot of great possibilities, and if you do it right, people will always be interested,” she said. “Make it interesting, and they’ll have a great time.”