The nationwide informal physics efforts before and during COVID-19 pandemic

We have undertaken a nationwide effort to develop a systemic understanding of the landscape of informal physics, including how informal physics programs are facilitated. Our study is focused on a number of important aspects, including how informal physics programs are facilitated, what the facilitator’s goals are in the program, how they are socially constructed, and how they attract their audience. We have collected survey and interview data along with some site visit field-notes for several different informal physics activities sponsored by physics departments in academic institutes and physics national labs. To test our methodology, we implemented our data collection protocol across the state of Michigan, as a microcosm of other states in the US. In addition, we collected various followup interview data from our previous participants in and outside Michigan about how their programs are affected by the pandemic. Here we present some data on the landscape of informal physics for both before and during COVID.