2. Find a Speaker
Its important to know that you can do either:
1) Find a speaker and match the topic to his/her expertise, or.....
2) Select a topic and find an appropriate speaker. The order is up to you.
Finding a speaker for your Cosmic Café is obvioulsy an important part of setting up your Science Café.
Please use the map below to search for a Cosmic Café speaker in your area.
View Cosmic Cafe Registered Speakers in a full screen map
Having trouble finding a speaker?
If you are have trouble finding a speaker some common places to look include: universities, government research institutions, professional associations, museums, and R&D firms and other businesses.
Other experts to consider include the science editor of the local newspaper, doctors and nurses, and science teachers. Also, scientists who have previously presented at a Science Café may be able to recommend other speakers.
Prepare the speaker for the Cosmic Café
Physicists and general audiences often think about The Fabric of the Cosmos topics differently. As a result, the challenge is to break the scientific ideas down in ways that make sense to general audiences and relate to their everyday lives.
As you (or your invited speaker) prepare your 10–12 minute presentation, consider organizing your remarks so that the audience will leave understanding the key message. Also, one goal of the Cosmic Café outreach campaign is to help people understand how Cosmic Café topics relate to their lives. The Relevance section of Cosmic Café resources provides ideas for connecting the show’s theme to people’s lives. Use the Conversation-Starter Questions as ways to kick off a general discussion.
