Facilitating outreach, exhibitions and media
Teaching extends beyond being with students in a classroom. To me, dissemination to general audiences is part of the academic calling to teach. Reflecting my philosophy of learning through creating memorable experience, as well as recognizing when to bring in external expertise, I pursue this calling in three ways: curating exhibitions, disseminating through the media, and facilitating and organizing outreach events.
Exhibitions: I have worked on two permanent exhibitions that opened in 2020. The first is a curated medal collection commemorating Carl Anton, Vilhelm, and Jacob Bjerknes’s contributions to geophysics over 150 years, placed in the boardroom at the Bjerknes Center for Climate Research. The second commemorates Agnar Nygaard and Kjell Kleppe, pioneers in microbiology, and consists of two permanent displays to be placed in the BB-building at Haukeland and in the entrance of Høyteknologisenteret at Marineholmen. Curating exhibitions are a rewarding way of teaching at multiple levels and aligns with my philosophy that learning takes place when more senses are activated. The summer of 2020 I secured funding to catalogue the sizeable historical collections at the medical faculty, and have hired three student assistants to clean, organize and catalogue. The goal is to involve both students and emeriti in producing future exhibitions and taking an active part in shaping the learning environment. During the summer of 2019, I also arranged a network meeting for national medical museums and collections with sessions on exhibitions and ‘hands on learning’ through objects.
Media: I disseminate through interviews in radio, newspapers, TV, and open lectures. My goal is to frame narratives in ways that engage, make the audiences reflect on the world around them, and appreciate insights gained through sustained efforts over time. This, too, is an expression of my teaching philosophy and mission to spread love and respect for knowledge and expertise (link to examples).
Facilitation: I have served as a board member of the Society for the Advancement of Science (Selskapet til Vitenskapenes Fremme) since 2012, and as secretary general from 2018. This has mainly consisted of organizing monthly public lectures and annual excursions. The covid-19 pandemic has meant moving some of the outreach online, experimenting with movies and webinars. This is a field in which I am still a novice. Facilitating outreach by others reflects my love for learning, and my mission and vision to make people think.