Episode 8: Constraints with Dr. Nicolas Bonne

Designing Science Conversations

The value of constraints is often overlooked and, today, we delve into the pros and cons with someone who followed his passion for astronomy despite the constraints of his visual impairment. Dr. Nicolas Bonne is an astronomer leading the Tactile Universe Public Engagement Project and is the Public Engagement and Outreach Fellow at the University of Portsmouth in the UK. In this episode, we learn how Dr. Bonne’s route to acquiring his Ph.D. inspired his focus on developing tactile astronomy-related resources to help blind and vision-impaired people engage with current topics. We discuss the translation aspect of communicating science, how visually impaired people learn, and the undeniable benefits of the availability of tactile resources. Tune in for another inspiring science conversation, spanning everything from communicating science through sound to the intrinsic role poetry and beauty play in our understanding of the universe.

Key Points From This Episode:

• The pros and cons of constraints.
• The Tactile Universe project Dr. Nicolas Bonne is currently working on.
• The defining moment that led Dr. Bonne to pursue astronomy.
• His journey of getting his astronomy Ph.D. with the constraints of his vision impairment.
• Examples of how he worked around the constraints.
• How blind or visually impaired people learn.
• How he got into the tactile communication of visual ideas.
• The impact the availability of tactile resources can have on visually impaired people.
• How Dr. Bonne relearned how to ask for help.
• The translation aspect of communicating science.
• How to discern between helpful and hindering constraints.
• The value of partnership.
• How Dr. Bonne’s difference affected his engagement with science.
• The incorporation of sound to communicate the science and detection of gravitational waves.
• The importance of tweaking analogies for visually impaired people.
• The role of beauty in science communications.
• Why poetry is so valuable to science.

Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode:

Designing Science Conversation

Dr. Nicolas Bonne on Twitter

Tactile Universe

Falling Walls Foundation

SpacetimeLabs

Dust & Company

Nic DiPalma Creative

Making Conversation: Seven Essential Elements of Meaningful Communication

Fred Dust on Twitter

Nic DiPalma on Twitter