Geophysics on stage: bringing Earth into scene

Abstract

Since September 2008, the Istituto Nazionale di Geofisca e Vulcanologia in Rome has started to experiment science theatre as an innovative tool to promote seismic risk awareness and earth education. Up to now two projects have been implemented within the Laboratorio di Didattica e Divulgazione Scientifica. The first one, more traditional, involving pupils of the primary school was devoted to promote seismic risk and earthquake education among children aged 6-10. The Sicilian “Colapesce” tale was rewritten and readapted to commemorate the 100 years from 1908 Messina Earthquake, to be performed in a school theatre by pupils (II and IV classes Scuola Primaria Federico Di Donato, Rome). It was as well an experiment of science without frontiers for the presence of schoolmates from different countries (Asia, Africa, South America, East Europe and Italy). The second was a pilot-project developed in collaboration with Ente Parco dei Castelli Romani and concerning the possibility to establish in the future an Ecomuseum in one of the Lazio Region areas rich of natural landscapes and history. The students of two classrooms of the Mancinelli and Falconi Institute in Velletri (III Classical Lyceum and III Socio-Pedagogical Lyceum ), aged 16, chose an itinerary in the volcanic-origin area around the Nemi Lake to be developed in three items: the Roman Ships Museum; The lake itself; and the Diana Nemorensis Temple’s ruins. The final goal was interpreting the territory with the help of scenic actions. It was a sort of opened-air theatre where history, legends and their historical figures - mainly Caligula and the Goddess Diana - described the area from the different points of view: geological, historical, naturalistic and even gastronomic. Both the projects have been evaluated, but in the second case, one of the two classrooms, being a Socio-Pedagogical Lyceum, was involved in the evaluation process under the supervision of Ingv Didactic Lab. Results from both projects, and a comparison between the two will be shown.