Let science come to your space: delivering astronomy and optics outreach activities outside the cities

Abstract

Increasing science awareness can help increase interest in science, give the public a deeper understanding of science and its application, and lead to more informed choices in society. On this matter, the Faculty of Physics and Math Science of the Universidad Autonoma de Nuevo Leon works on a social program where teachers and students perform outreach activities related to Astronomy, Optics, and Physics in different schools and public spaces outside the metropolitan area. These activities include a mobile planetarium, solar observation, telescopes, hands-on optics, physics demonstrations, and more. This works presents a summary of the cities and towns visited since 2017 and the impact of this program between our community and our students. In conclusion, we have impacted the growth of the scientific interest in our community. Now, more families are interested in science as a recreational activity, and kids are interested in science as a possible career path. At the same time, we have been helping undergraduate students develop soft skills through science outreach activities.