Antonio Bernal director of the planetarium of Medellin of Colombia

Beñar Kortabarria Olabarria,

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EU ES FR

EN CA GA

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Partekatu

What is the secret to reaching people?

That is easy, many shows and few words. People like to see and feel more than listen. In the world we run the risk of losing languages because everything enters our eyes.

And how do you do it?

I will answer you with an example. One of the planetarium engineers prepared a program for me on the Moon: "Return to the Moon". With this program he intended to make known the discoveries that have been made on the Moon in the last 5-6 years, due to water, the absence of new special craters at the poles of the Moon, etc. He did the program, taught me it, and as soon as I finished I said: "People are missing from this program." "And," he replied, "what can I do to involve people in the phenomena that occur on the moon? ". I told him to "cheat". So we did, we said that they brought to the moon the remains of a famous character. That was a lie, but we got a direct implication. And it is that we mix the ritual of the earth -funeral- with the moon. It wasn't the only trap, we got more. In short, the use of many images and a certain involvement of people are the key to attracting attention.

He has spoken of the keys and secrets of disclosure, with the aim of divulging both. But to divulge, for what?

I am very clear that science museums have to serve as a bridge. On one side of the bridge would be those who work in science, those who do science, and on the other side, those who do not do science. We collect all the knowledge that exists in universities, research centers, institutes, science in general. Then we have to put all that knowledge into a language that people understand and, of course, present it to people. All sciences have their own language, often incomprehensible. In medicine, for example, the names of medicines are difficult to understand, those of diseases are not better and those of human organs can be worse; we only have to put them in the language that people can understand.

And the public, the people, the society, has to know everything?

Yes, of course. The world is increasingly technical, without technology we can not live, without computer in companies can not work, we need television, technology is evident every day and progress must be explained to society. The buyer of the computer should not be told all the incidents of the chips, but should be informed of the base and how to use it.

It considers essential knowledge of science, essential for decision-making and to complete the opinion of pedestrians. Is it true?

XXI. In the early fifteenth century, religions Science is as important as in the nineteenth century. Scientists may be something like priests of the coming years, people have to get involved in science. Why are pseudosciences more accepted than sciences? Why does astrology have more followers than astronomy? Astrology has been sold as if it were religion, science has not. Science is taught, Jupiter is there, has mists, etc., while astrology says it will affect you. If we plan to sell science well, science will influence people.