Abstract:

In July 2001, dozens of physicists participated in an energetic and diverse program of outreach and public education while attending the Snowmass 2001 Summer Study on the Future of Particle Physics. Over the three week span of the conference, a variety of activities were arranged for K-12 teachers, K-12 students, physicists, the local Latino community, and the general public. The centerpiece was an ambitious Science Weekend that reached over 1400 people. The first part of this talk will be a photo-essay describing the program, in order to familiarize the audience with the scope and nature of the activities and with the logistical underpinnings. Then the focus will move from description to analysis: What made the Snowmass meeting a good setting for a large-scale outreach program? What are the long-term effects of this effort? What lessons can we physicists draw for the future ?