Integration of formal and informal education enabling connections among scientific research and science education and communication

New technologies, climate change, smart and sustainable growth and lastly the pandemic crisis, are just some examples of the many scientific issues that are pervading our every-day lives, while being open fields of research. This calls for a closer connection among scientific research, science education and science communication, which however appear still remarkably distant. While school programs are still too traditional to communicate efficiently the rapid evolution of research and scientific knowledge, scientists are not yet sufficiently committed in education and public outreach activities. On the other hand, digital technologies and the web offer unprecedented opportunities to access scientific information, which however are handled with difficulty by the public, while misconceptions, oversimplifications and ill-founded debates in science communication and media are a major issue. Here I examine how the close connection of scientific research and science education and science communication can be pursued through the integration of formal and non-formal education settings. I will discuss the implementation of informal programs developed with a participatory approach in collaboration between our physics department, schools, and informal education providers and integrated within school programs and schedule.