Record Amount Raised for Science Education & Research During “Hangoutathon”
The CosmoQuest Virtual Research Facility at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville raised more than $37,000 for science education and research during the 2015 Hangoutathon and Global Star Party April 25-26.
Pamela Gay, SIUE research assistant professor, co-designed CosmoQuest as a way to engage the public in science, particularly after governmental funding cuts affected science education and research.
“We often say, it takes a village to raise a child, and a global community to raise our understanding of the universe,” remarked Gay. “Our goals are to educate and engage people in science.”
Money raised during the event will maintain CosmoQuest’s science and science education programs.
“Research is how we advance society, and education is how we prepare society to be intelligent and progressive,” said Gay. “If we want the imagined world of jet-cars from “The Jetsons,” we can get there, but only with education and research.”
The 36-hour event is described as a modern version of a TV telethon. It is hosted through Google Hangouts on Air and archived on YouTube.
For more information, visit cosmoquest.org.
