AHEAD2020: an overview

• Luigi Piro (National Institute of Astrophysics, INAF-IAPS)
• Ioannis Georgantopoulos (National Observatory of Athens, NOA)

There is not just one Cosmos - Involving, connecting and story-telling in Multimessenger Astronomy

• Vincenzo Napolano (European Gravitational Observatory, EGO)

The communication and outreach activities of the European Gravitational Observatory (EGO) in recent years have been inspired by some general ideas about the meaning and value for the society of the scientific revolution related to gravitational waves and Multimessenger Astronomy. Indeed these initiatives have been oriented by the idea that the achievements of scientific knowledge always have a 'counterpart' in our way of conceiving the human being’s place in the Cosmos and thus a reflection in a societal, aesthetic and, in a broader sense, cultural sphere. Another aspect, explored and recounted in various ways, is related to the connection of observatories or antennas (e.g. gravitational antennas) with their host environment (on the Earth, underground or under the sea...), that can drive useful applications for the society and other research sectors.Then a further inspiring principle has been the particular value, in terms of inclusion, but also of enhancing the research tools, of multi-sensory data analysis, particularly in the context of multi-messenger astronomy. We will present several case studies and examples, showing how communication and outside representations of MMA can find connections with the other 'cosmos' of culture, art, society and even of our inner world, reflecting on the special meaning and effective impact of these communication, outreach or citizen science actions.

COsMIC RAYS - A different strategy to explain high-energy astrophysics to youngsters (who usually have too high-energies to stop and hear who explains high-energy astrophysics)

• Angelo Adamo (National Institute of Astrophysics, INAF-IASF Palermo)

Many years ago I started a bit for fun to write and draw comics focused on astrophysical themes which I then printed and left as flyers to the public during the astronomical outreach events in which I was involved. Later this activity became more and more important in my job and it was enriched with new experiences and awareness to the point of becoming the object of a research on the advantages offered by the use of comics as part of the dissemination of the ASTRI project. Today I'll try to tell you some of these results showing some of my works.

Towards a Science Museum in Rome

• Giorgio Manzi (Sapienza University)

Since the last decades of the 19th century, Rome has been waiting for a Science Museum. Despite the place of honor in a virtual ranking of the capitals of the world, Rome has neither a Natural History Museum nor a Science and Technology Museum. This is paradoxical if we compare this condition with that of other cities, even in the Italian context (see e.g. Milan). Recently, after countless failed attempts in the past, a window has opened that allows us to be optimistic for the future. Thanks to the joint action of the Accademia dei Lincei and the Municipality of Rome, together with some other important city institutions (first of all the University "La Sapienza"), a cultural project was developed and approved. These days, what has been prepared in the context of this cultural planning is also becoming an architectural project. Thus a new structure will be born that will be an emerging point of connection and visibility for a variety of small and large museums, universities, laboratories and other scientific institutions of which the city is very rich.

Public communication of science in the post covid era: online, inclusive and aimed at an increasingly complex audience.

• Francesca Mazzotta (Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare, INFN)
• Cecilia Collà Ruvolo (Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare, INFN)

The experience gained during the pandemic has on the one hand strengthened initiatives that were previously only collateral to in-presence communication programs, and on the other hand it has put us in front of the need to involve an increasingly wider and more varied public in a non-random way. The immediate need for online initiatives by schools allowed us to experiment, first, and then consolidate, target-oriented activities that, in addition to the involvement of researchers and the interaction with the public, envisaged narrative formats, properly modulated on the audience. This is how dialogues between researchers, the public and the school were born, aimed at telling about INFN research and physics, and based on scripted narratives: pre-edited stories accompanied by images and cartoons through the croma-key technique, also reinforced by the use of detectors and demonstration tools, and closed by active Q&A sessions. The response from schools has been well above our expectations, clearly showing the need for quality contents on science, which pervades schools, mainly at the lower levels. The same strategy has been applied to the wider public and to more specialized audiences, thus including communication of a more institutional nature, on the occasion of announcements and media campaigns.