Communication between research scientists and the general public appears ever more difficult; in part due to the arcane language used by scientific specialists and in part due to a system of science education that lags far behind the current research advances. The current proposal aims to improve that communication formally by development of high school curriculum units and informally by museum exhibits and public forums.
Research scientists, museum educators and high school teachers will cooperate in this endeavor, centered at the Yale Peabody Museum and drawing on the research resources of the Yale Medical School (clinical and public health). Three infectious, vector-borne diseases— malaria, leishmaniasis, and dengue—will be used as models
(1) to illustrate impact of climate on changes in epidemiological patterns and
(2) to fulfill requirements of the new state and national science standards.