RE: Earth Day Experience

["Grimm, Lawrence" <LGrimm@ADMIN.UCLA.EDU>]

Thomas:

Discouraging isn't it?  I have done a lot of public presentations (not to
the enormous effort that you prepared - how did you carry it all?) and I
have had varying success.  Some efforts were very discouraging like your
effort, and some quite successful.  Amazingly, it seems the more successful
efforts were done with only a small table and few "toys".

Please do not get discouraged.  There are damn few of us even willing to
make the effort, and I do believe that every bit helps.  I, for one, grandly
applaud your effort.  I recommend that you search for State teacher
organizations and do the same thing for High School teacher seminars.  It
does work, is a lot of fun, and they are interested.  It is easy to get to
the hard science teachers, but I really recommend working to get to the
social science teachers too (they have enormous influence on young minds and
beliefs).  It takes a few years to see the results, but I had the delightful
experience of actually seeing the effect in students, years after I taught
the teachers.  That was a rush and made it all worth while. 

I've never done an Earth Day Celebration.  Interesting idea, interesting
challenge.  I should try one to see if my experience would be the same as
yours.  If it was, it would sure say a lot about those who attend Earth Day
celebrations.  However, I was exceptionally pleased that the organizers let
you in to do it. I was locked out of a similiar thing once years ago, so I
believe we are slowly seeing a changing attitude in the "anti-" crowds
towards things nuclear.  We have to keep working it and re-inforce the new
attitudes.   Just the fact that the attendees saw a pro-nuclear presentation
set-up at the celebration, tempers their judgement towards nuclear, even if
they did not come visit you. 


Larry Grimm
UCLA

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