{"id":2395,"date":"2026-03-30T22:18:09","date_gmt":"2026-03-30T22:18:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.aurorasaurus.org\/?p=2395"},"modified":"2026-04-03T19:58:15","modified_gmt":"2026-04-03T19:58:15","slug":"making-auroras-understandable","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.aurorasaurus.org\/?p=2395","title":{"rendered":"Making auroras understandable"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

By Laura Edson, MAT<\/a> in Museum Education<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When I first joined Aurorasaurus six years ago, I had a steep learning curve ahead of me. I\u2019d struggled with algebra and calculus in high school, I hadn\u2019t touched physics for 15 years, and words like \u201cmagnetohydrodynamics\u201d were pretty intimidating. I was able to learn because Dr. Liz and my colleagues met me where I was and patiently walked me through the content I needed to know, step by step. It\u2019s a gift that I will always appreciate, and is built on solid educational theory.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When presenters introduce the aurora to the public, they are likewise often walking members of the audience into unfamiliar science. This can make participants apprehensive; about 93% of American adults report<\/a> experiencing some level of math anxiety, and 54% of American adults have low literacy skills<\/a>. As presenters, we have the power to fuel or extinguish a participant\u2019s spark of interest, so the way that we approach engagement is critically important. In this post, we\u2019ll walk through some best practices for presenting to the general public. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Knowing our audience<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

What does it mean to serve the general public? Generally speaking, the public refers to a broad group of people: anyone and everyone, including kids, adults, and multigenerational groups, from a variety of backgrounds and with a range of experiences. An important piece of informal education (any form of learning outside a classroom) is remembering that participants took time out of their lives to seek out what they can learn from you: they chose <\/em>to spend time with you. It\u2019s both an exciting opportunity and a big responsibility to make sure they are glad they did. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In my grad school program, we learned as informal educators in the US to aim public materials to a 5th-8th grade level regardless of the age of your audience. We act as translators between subject matter experts and the public: choosing a broad level helps us be understandable to a range of ages, life experiences, multilingual approaches, experts in other fields, etc. We want to be sure that our written materials, especially, are comprehensible at that level. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tip: A quick way to check reading level is a <\/em>readability checker<\/em><\/a>, which will give you a grade level score.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Make it easy to understand<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Everyone uses jargon, or technical terminology, to talk with colleagues, fellow aurora chasers, etc. In some contexts, especially among people who use the same jargon, it can make someone seem authoritative or knowledgeable. However, it is not as useful when working with the public. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cSpeaking in a \u2018language\u2019 which only a few people can understand will always make people feel unwelcome or even \u2018not-smart enough\u2019 to be part of the conversation. Jargon will always, unintentionally, alienate an audience that you are having conversations with. It can also lead to misunderstanding or a misconception if people can\u2019t follow or understand what you are trying to talk about\u201d (Lickley, 2025<\/a>). <\/p>\n\n\n\n

When introducing a new subject, important goals are to convey information as accurately as appropriate, and avoid<\/a> making learners feel stupid or embarrassed. Learning to translate jargon to plain language takes practice, but being able to discuss a topic in a range of ways is a useful skill. A good example is WIRED 5 Levels of Science<\/a>, in which an expert explains a topic in ways that are geared toward five different audiences. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

A fun way to practice plain language translation is to try the Up Goer Five Challenge<\/a>. This activity is based on an iconic xkcd comic<\/a> that presents the Saturn V rocket as \u201cUp Goer Five\u201d using the thousand most common words<\/a> in the English language. The challenge to \u201cexplain your science\u201d with common words is often done at scientific conferences like AGU <\/a>and EGU<\/a>. You can check out some examples of aurora science Up Goer presentations on our blog<\/a>. Up Goer oversimplifies vocabulary a bit too much for conversation, but by doing so provides the opportunity to be thoughtful about what can be added back in.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n

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\"Diagram<\/a>
Excerpt from <\/em>Up Goer Five<\/em><\/a> <\/em>by xkcd showing the nose of the Saturn V rocket.<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

A rule of thumb is to introduce 1-3 new vocabulary words per presentation: beyond that, listeners can get overwhelmed and tune out. Learning to translate to plain language provides the opportunity to select the most important new vocabulary words. For example, if you want to introduce a big word like \u201cmagnetohydrodynamics,\u201d keep the language around it simple so that your audience feels more confident. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

We know this is a huge challenge for aurora concepts! If premade language would be helpful, please feel free to draw from the Aurorasaurus blog<\/a>, especially our aurora terms glossary<\/a>. These descriptions have been developed by both science and education subject matter experts with the goal of being resources for engagement. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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