Making science cool and accessible

Ben Bravery, 28, from Australia, does a science show in a local school. Photo provided by Kexue Communications

By Annie Wei

Once upon a time, science was considered boring and geeky. But the popularity of shows like The Big Bang Theory have redefined what “geeky” means – it’s now almost cool to be a geek.

In Beijing, several groups are trying to make science mainstream through a series of interesting events. One of them is Kexue Communications, founded and managed by Australians Ben Bravery, 28, and Tim O’Mahony, 26.

Both Bravery and O’Mahony majored in science in college. Bravery has worked in Beijing the last four years as the managing editor of a peer-reviewed journal for the Chinese Academy of Sciences. O’Mahony moved to China six months ago, and before that worked for a small Filipino non-profit organization.

The two started their friendship while in college, when they traveled to different schools to teach science.

Science is important because it affects everyone, O’Mahony said, yet many people are intimidated by it, or apathetic toward it. There, O’Mahony sees his job as a “knowledge broker” to make science accessible to everyone.

They combine dramatic techniques in their science teaching, resulting in entertaining and informative presentations. They also use characters, accents and humor, and encourage students to have a positive attitude.

In September, Bravery and O’Mahony traveled to Shanghai to present science shows in local schools. They were representing Questacon, an Australian science center, and working with the Shanghai Science and Technology Museum.

O’Mahony said they visited a school for children of migrant workers. “The experience was a real eye-opener for me. The students were eager to volunteer and answer questions. It was also inspirational to see how dedicated the teachers were in a challenging situation,” he said.

The school had very basic facilities, with no air-conditioning or fans, even during the heat of summer. Every year, a quarter of the school’s students will leave the school.

O’Mahony said that the teachers and students faced many challenges every day, yet the students were enthusiastic, polite, smart and engaging. They performed two science shows for them, one about the science of music and the other about the science of electricity.

Currently, the two expats are doing their shows for international or bilingual schools. “But what we want is to get involved with more Chinese schools,” O’Mahony said.