JNIPER: Joint Network of Informal Physics Education and Research

Within physics most of us have in some form or another facilitated public engagement, outreach, and/or science communication in some form. However, research on informal physics education (IPER) is relatively nascent. The Joint Network for Informal Physics Education and Research (JNIPER) is a response to a need for articulating and discussing a number of issues in informal physics education. The network will bring together physicists who facilitate informal physics learning activities, along with researchers who investigate the impact of these activities, to align and centralize the informal learning efforts of the physics community at large. Therefore, a big component of this network would focus on building capacity for research and practices to bridge the gap between researchers and practitioners.