On May 19, IGCAS Public Science Day 2012 was held as scheduled, coinciding with the kickoff of Guizhou Province Science and Technology Week.

Themed on "Approaching Science, Focusing on Resources and Environment ", IGCAS Public Science Day 2012 attracted over 700 visitors from the universities, high schools, elementary schools, and research institutes in Guizhou Province. The visitors included teachers, students, and staff, from Guizhou University, Guizhou Normal University, Guiyang No.1 High School, Guiyang No.2 High School, Guizhou Academy of Environmental Sciences and Designing，and Guizhou Meteorology Bureau. Under the guide of the IGCAS volunteers, the visitors started a journey of learning the knowledge and feeling the charm of Earth Sciences.

Visitors to IGCAS on the Public Science Day

During the Public Science Day, the State Key Laboratory of Ore Deposit Geochemistry (SKLODG), the State Key Laboratory of Environmental Geochemistry (SKLEG), and the Laboratory for High Temperature and High Pressure Study of the Earth's Interior (LHTHPSEI), three main laboratories in IGCAS, were open to the public. The live demos, posters, exhibitions of the ores and meteorites, researchers’ interpretations, and the interactive activities between researchers and visitors, offered the public a better understanding of the research in IGCAS while shortening the distance between science and the public.

In the union hall, the visitors watched a film about Earth Sciences, which was titled ‘Journey to the Edge of the Universe’. The vast universe in the film fascinated every audience with its charm. During the visit, the visitors showed great interest in science. They took down notes and actively asked questions to the researchers, expressing big concerns about the lunar exploration and environmental pollution. The researchers answered the questions in easy to understand way and earned the applause.　

Visitors watching ‘Journey to the Edge of the Universe’

During the event, IGCAS also distributed free brochures which illustrated some hot science topics including super moon and PM2.5, and covered some interesting topics, such as the terrestrial planets, Kepler-22B, fake jade, high level of manganese in tableware, soil pollution, etc. The brochures attracted lots of readers with the easy-to-understand words and plenty of graphics.

The visitors commented that the Public Science Day provided them with a good opportunity to learn science, and exchanging views with researchers made them aware of the hard problems in research. They also remarked that the event broadened their views, and triggered their curiosity about science mysteries as well as the eager to explore the world. In the guest book, many visitors wrote down their feelings and shared what they have learned from the event.

Researcher answering the questions of the visitors

Visitors writing down notes

IGCAS has focused its science popularization program on organizing diversified public science events to offer children and youth a closer look at science, concepts in Earth Sciences, the scientific thinking and skills, as well as the scientific spirit and attitude. Public Science Day is organized in May annually and well received by the public.

IGCAS Public Science Day 2012 concluded successfully at 5:00pm.

(Provided by CHEN Juanhong, translated by XIAO Yi)