Science Matters

Supporting Science Literacy & Encouraging Critical Thinking

In 2020, as the world faced a pandemic like nothing in living memory, Orlando Science Center realized that our mission was more important than ever. We noticed a lack of public understanding in the role of science to address world problems.

The process of science is very messy. It's full of observation and experimentation, theories and hypotheses. Answers change as new data comes into play. There are very few absolutes in the world of science learning and the idea that what’s true today could change tomorrow makes many uncomfortable. We want people to remain open to new information and understand that science is a never-ending pursuit of knowledge to solve complex problems.

We live in a world of constant information with most of it communicated via the internet where there can be very little evidence-based reason or fact-checking. This is why the scientific method can be very useful in helping make informed decisions regarding new data.  Scientists make observations and test them to reach a conclusion. Each conclusion often leads to a new observation.

We want to strengthen people’s skills in the scientific method so they can use critical thinking to test new information against a body of evidence. The need to promote the importance of these skills inspired Orlando Science Center to launch Science Matters.

Science Matters is a public information campaign that promotes using the scientific method to make informed decisions while increasing confidence in science literacy. Trusted resources for information online and onsite activities help illustrate how the scientific method can help people better understand the impact of science on the major issues of the day.

Campaigns