Public relations for SOFIA: "This is my dream job"

The dialog between the science community and the public is given a high priority at the German SOFIA Institute (DSI). In what ways does this show?

Dr. Dörte Mehlert: One of the special aspects of the DSI is that one and a half staff positions had already been earmarked for educational and public relations work when it was founded back in 2004 and have been funded by the University of Stuttgart ever since. So we've had our own educational and public outreach program right from the outset. In formal terms, the DSI is actually a third-party funded project rather than an institute. I'm not aware of any other third-party funded project in Germany that has its own education and outreach program, let alone one that was launched in 2004.

How come the DSI is pioneering this approach?

It has to do with our flying infrared observatory SOFIA, which is a joint project between NASA and the German Aerospace Center (DLR). On the German side, the University of Stuttgart coordinates the scientific operation of SOFIA on behalf of the DLR. NASA allocates a certain percentage of the project budget to outreach activities for each of its programs, and the DLR has done the same for SOFIA. Apart from that, the founder of the DSI, Professor Hans-Peter Röser, has played a decisive role and has placed great emphasis on public relations from the very start, his personal credo being: "do good, and talk about it."

What educational and outreach opportunities does the program offer?

It opens up a lot of possibilities for us that couldn't be achieved in other projects. One example of our educational work is the teacher co-flight program [DE] in SOFIA, for which all teachers in Germany are eligible to apply. Following a selection process and a preparatory meeting in Stuttgart, the successful applicants spend about a week in the USA, where, they prepare for the co-flight, which is scheduled for the end of their stay there. During the flight, they get to experience first-hand how the scientists work and what kind of things they are observing. The co-flight leaves the teachers with a lasting sense of enthusiasm, which they take back to their schools and, ideally, pass on to their students. Many teachers go on to give public lectures or publish blogs about their co-flight experiences for years afterwards. SOFIA is also now included in educational curricula and textbooks.

Sounds like a practical and at the same time high-profile way of communicating science.

The co-flight program and the accompanying media response always make a gigantic impression. The teachers talk about their experience in very authentic terms and local media in particular, such as regional newspapers, local radio, and TV stations, take a great interest in this. We could never achieve this level of enthusiasm and the associated knowledge transfer through a simple press release.

What other projects or services are on offer?

Our infrared experiment kit for schoolchildren, which teachers can use to teach the infrared spectrum in the classroom and explain what we are observing with SOFIA and how it works, is particularly popular. We also have a mobile exhibition about the infrared observatory, which we make available for lectures and trade shows. And, whenever SOFIA visits Germany, we offer tours of the aircraft. Public interest in it was enormous during its last two stops here in 2011 and 2019. 

These are all activities that enrich society as a whole. To what extent does research benefit from public relations work?

It is important to make science visible to both the general public and policy makers. Decision makers need to be convinced that continuing to provide funding for a particular piece of research makes sense, so the projects we carry out have to be visible. Competition is fierce these days, which makes it all the more important to attract attention through good public relations work. And taxpayers have a right to see what their money is being spent on and to see for themselves that they are reaping the benefits. After all, they are our advocates. And last but by no means least, the goal of our educational and public relations work is to inspire young people and to recruit the next generation of scientists.

You have been responsible for education and public relations at DSI since 2006: what appeals to you about this career path on a personal level?

During my training as a physicist in Hamburg, I used to imagine my future self standing in a laboratory, wearing a white coat and wire-rimmed spectacles: discouraged by this notion, I realized that I wanted more contact with people. After that I completed a number of internships with newspapers and realized that I enjoyed explaining things. As a doctoral student in Munich, I continued to write articles and give lectures at adult education centers. Organizing an open day at the Munich Observatory in 1996 was something of a highlight for me and I knew then that this was my vocation. Later, when I saw the DSI vacancy announcement, I knew it was the perfect job for me.

Can you think of an example?

When SOFIA landed at Stuttgart Airport in 2011, the role of social media was not particularly relevant for us. This had changed dramatically by the time it landed there again in 2019: the interest and attention it got on social media had grown exponentially. People everywhere were talking about SOFIA, and many were uploading pictures. There is a very large online community of so-called plane spotters, i.e., people who like to observe and photograph airplanes and track their movements. All of this results in numerous positive effects. Interacting with users is often fun, and makes it even easier to motivate them and get them involved. However, erroneous information is sometimes shared as well: if I notice it, I can react and steer people in the right direction. But I often don’t notice it, which is something you just have to live with.

Another example that occurred in 2013 involved a weeks-long coordination process for a press release about a SOFIA flight in New Zealand. We had to take three time zones into account to time the press release perfectly: NASA on the West Coast of America, us in Germany, and SOFIA in New Zealand. As soon as SOFIA landed in New Zealand, local plane spotters immediately tweeted the first photos and info, and everyone knew about it.  Our colleagues in the USA didn't publish our long-prepared press release for another 19 hours. We have learned from this and have adapted our communication strategy accordingly. 

Interview: Bettina Wind

SOFIA is the only flying infrared observatory in the world, and is one of the largest bilateral US-German projects in the field of space exploration. It is one of the largest third-party funded projects being carried out at the University of Stuttgart, which coordinates SOFIA’s scientific operations in Germany. The Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy (SOFIA) is a refitted Boeing 747 SP with a 17-tonne telescope on board. Scientists often travel on board the aircraft, for example to observe young stars and planetary systems being formed or to study the Milky Way.

SOFIA is a joint project between the German Space Agency at the German Aerospace Center (DLR) and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). The development of this German instrument was financed through funds from the Max Planck Society (MPG), the German Research Foundation (DFG) and the DLR. It was implemented on the initiative of the DLR, which resulted in a resolution by the German federal government and was funded by the German Federal Ministry of Economics and Energy (BMWi), the state of Baden-Württemberg, and the University of Stuttgart.