Science communication encompasses various, sometimes overlapping, fields, each with its own distinct perspective.

• Science Journalism
• Public Engagement & Outreach
• Formal and informal Science Education
• Citizen Science Coordination
• Museum & Exhibition Work
• Digital & Multimedia Production
• Policy & Government Communication
• Risk Communication
• Corporate Communication

All share one core mission: making specialized scientific knowledge accessible for diverse audiences in a meaningful way.

While science journalism, digital- and multimedia production and corporate communication is carried out by the University’s Markom teams, the Institute for Data Science focused on public engagement and informal science education around astronomy and space topics. However, we were also involved in most other fields: museum exhibitions, citizen science, digital communication (websites, social media), media relations, policy- and risk communication.

Space research at HSI is financed by public money, for example through the Swiss National Science Foundation SNSF, the European research programmes or the European Space Agency ESA, to whom the Swiss government contributes a considerable amount of money – all tax money. We believe that taxpayers should be informed about how their money is being spent and get something back from the knowledge created in a way that is meaningful to them.

Our goals were to

• increase the visibiliy of space activities at the FHNW, as many people still thought of a University of Applied Sciences as a school limited to train students,
• bridge the gap between science&technology and society by making s&t more accessible and giving taxpayers something back of what they payed for: the exciting fields of research in which we have the privilege of working,
• improve the practice of inclusion towards more equal opportunities for everyone who has limited access to space topics and the academic world in general.

We planned to reach these goals by systematically showing and shareing what we do at the cutting edge of s&t to different audiences in a suitable way, for example by creating opportunities for scientists and the public to meet on an eye-to-eye level. This involved a particular kind of exhibit design, the development of dedicated educational materials, experimenting with different approaches etc.

Many of our programs helped encourage the next generation to pursue STEAM subjects. Although this was not our main goal, and in the meantime is covered by a specific Office for the Promotion of Young Talent at HTU/HSI, this was a welcome side effect.

In the end, we hoped to contribute to a better-informed democratic society.

Over the past 20 years, we

• published over 1000 carefully designed social media posts,
• coordinated science communication for six international research projects,
• designed and ran 10 project websites,
• developed and delivered hundreds of children’s workshops,
• contributed to dozens of  public events – on the FHNW campus, in Switzerland and abroad,
• organized three mission launch parties (STIX 2021, Euclid 2023, SMILE 2026).

Fun fact: our most successful blog post was ‘How hot is the Sun?’ (2012). 🌞 

One more fun fact: ±1000 people visited the eclipse event we organized on the campus for the kindergarten class of a co-worker’s son (2015).  😎

Yet another fun fact: We were invited to the European Commissions Open Doors Day to run a booth with space themed hands-on activities. We didn’t believe our navigation system when it made our car stop in front of the European Commission’s Berlaymont Building. We had expected this to be a minor event taking place in one of the little labs at the outskirts of Brussels rather than 10 000 visitors at the EC’s main building (2013). 🥹 

However, after some years, it felt like every time we conducted an activity, we lit a straw fire that flared up quickly and burned down just as fast. We started to look for a more sustainable approach that included long-term engagement for those who wanted to dig deeper: science as a hobby just like music or sports.

As we didn’t have access to suitable facilities at the FHNW, in 2016, we rented a permanent space in a neighbourhood where we were able to address potential participants we had not been able to reach before. Raumschiff – the Maker Space for Astronomy became not only a place for running activities but also a sandbox for prototyping new approaches and communication formats. There, we organized professional development courses with Ryan Jenkins (Exploratorium San Francisco), conducted research in science education outside school (EU project SySTEM2020, see below) and experimented with long-term and inclusive approaches in public engagement.

Our partnership in Space Exchange Switzerland, the national platform promoting space activities in Switzerland, allowed for prototyping and running long-term programs in a more systematic way over several years. Some participants in the space clubs, both children and adults, have followed the program over four or more years. We were able to build a community of space loving amateurs of all ages, culminating in the yearly  Weltraum-Festival that took place between 2022-2026 after the space club season finished. Another initiative we started within Space Exchange’s national scope is the Astro-edu Network, a loose association of astronomy- and space educators outside school (see below).

Internal conclusion

Were nearly twenty years of public engagement successful? Did we reach our goals? Find below Hanna’s personal assessment which, of course, doesn’t replace an external evaluation.

• Visibility: In the case of the FHNW we observed that, while our space activities were initially better known abroad, awareness in the national and local media has increased significantly in recent years. Our scientists are now approached for interviews on a regular basis > a big success! The visibility among the general public certainly has increased, too, but the extent of which is hard to estimate. The awareness of potential students that, at the FHNW, they have the opportunity to participate in real space research, is still weak.
• Bridging the gap between science and society: In the course of our projects and events, many scientists, not only from the FHNW but also from nearly all academic institutions in Switzerland and several ones in Europe, made huge efforts to share what they do on an eye-to eye level, contributing substantially to narrowing the gap between science and society > a great success! We were able to cater for the needs of many parents aiming to satisfy the curiosity of their children by engaging them deeply into the topic of their passion. While, before, space seemed out of reach, many of these families now see themselves as space fans.
• Inclusion: This was our steepest learning curve. Moving out of the academic environment into a neighbourhood right beside the playground of those we hoped to ‘include’ was an advantage. It allowed us to better understand the mechanisms involved in failed inclusion and experiment with small steps. On a small scale we found interesting solutions. However, they remain at a prototype level, and it is unclear to what extent they are scalable. Making progress in inclusion would take a huge common effort by many actors in the field.

So what about the ‘better-informed democratic society’ we hoped to contribute to? We shared which projects our scientists work on, how they do it, with whom, who pays for it and what the results are. We organized opportunities to meet and learn from each others on an eye-to-eye level. However, in order to provide everything that is needed for informed democratic decision making, the fourth estate is indispensable. We need a highly competent, independent and critical science journalism outside the academic institutions.

Were the efforts sustainable?

Here, the answer is less positive. The good news is that some parts of space communication (media relations, occasional on-site events) are now supported by FHNW’s markom teams. However, it is unlikely for the public engagement part to continue. It would take more than just the commitment of those involved in I4DS’ public engagement project to keep it going. Reduced finances for science, the main source for our science communication activities, add to the difficulty to consolidate the work. At the time this conclusion is being written (summer 2026), a large portion of the activities we built up over two decades are now being scaled back.