Science education is incredibly important. The why I think you've highlighted pretty well. Science isn't straightforward to understand. Science Journalism dumbs it down, but it's also often sensationalized as fuck so isn't worth reading. I help with this through my time spent moderating on /r/science. We think that AMAs (Ask Me Anythings) done with scientists is the best way to engage people in science through the Internet. By making the interaction personal and seeing the lure of receiving pointless internet points people tend to get much more engaged than otherwise. We've had some really interesting guests visit to answer people's questions. We're planning to have an AMA with Stephen Hawking very soon, which the ongoing drama within Reddit hopefully hasn't put in jeopardy.