San Francisco State University is collaborating with MESA of California to replicate the Mission Science Workshop (MSW) model for informal science education to establish 10 self-supporting interactive Community Science Workshops (CSW's) throughout California. The overriding theme for activities at the CSW's is to let children and parents "be" scientists as they explore through the use of interactive exhibits, hands-on building/tinkering activities and content workshops, while at the same time ensuring they learn correct science concepts. Content to be presented is from the areas of Engineering, Life Sciences, Physical Sciences, and Mathematics. The target audience is primarily African-American, Latino, and Native American children in grades K-8 and their families.
The Zoological Society of Florida and Miami Metrozoo will use this award to plan their strategy for "Attracting New Neighbors". During their planning activities they will address issues involved in attracting the traditionally underserved and large Hispanic population of Dade County, Florida to the educational programs of the zoo. The planning grant will support 1) audience research within Dade County, 2) a national study to see what others have done to attract diverse audiences, 3) a three-day invitational planning conference, 4) site visits and focused research by Metrozoo staff on attracting a diverse audience, and 5) dissemination of the information about marketing strategies and programming techniques developed during the planning activities to zoos and science museums across the country. The planning process will culminate in the development of a long-range exhibition, educational program, and marketing plan for the zoo's new Education Court scheduled to open in 1998.
The California Museum of Science and Industry (CMSI) will develop a new exhibit "Body in Balance: Developing Integrative Life Science Exhibits." This will be a 3000 sq. ft. component in the new 17,500 sq. ft. World of Life Exhibit Hall when the CMSI opens its new facility in 1997 and becomes the California Science Center. The World of Life is organized around several key science concepts which emphasize the commonalties among living things and their life processes. One of the major ideas to be communicated in this area is homeostasis as it applies to human beings. Homeostasis has been chosen because it is the unifying theme of system physiology. The exhibit will include seventeen exhibits (with a total of sixty- seven interactive elements) as well as a "The Body in Balance" theater presentations and bilingual (English/Spanish) exhibition books. This integrative view of body functions is consistent with recommendations from Benchmarks for Science Literacy and the Science Framework for California Public Schools Grades K-12. A broad menu of complementary formal education materials will be developed.
This Communicating Research to Public Audiences (CRPA) proposal is based upon Dr. Melanie Stiassny's and her associates' taxonomic and biodiversity research of the fauna in the lower Congo River. The PI has used innovative hydrologic modeling, remote sensing, habitat mapping and spatial analysis to explore and explain the biological richness of this unique river system. The CRPA request will support the production of a short documentary film that will be produced and distributed by the American Museum of Natural History's high definition video current science program Science Bulletins. The video will be captioned in both French and Spanish to make it accessible to colleagues in Africa and Spanish-speaking students throughout the United States. In addition, the AMNH will host the PI presenting a public program about her research discoveries. This live program will be rebroadcast by the New York Academy of Science via their podcast series "Science and the City."
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TEAM MEMBERS:
Melanie StiassnyEdward GardinerVivian Trakinski
Children's Discovery Museum of San Jose seeks National Science Foundation grant support in the amount of $381,000 (55% of a total project cost of $693,188) to develop over a 24-month period a series of interactive exhibits exploring the subject of rhythm, including both obvious and lesser known manifestations within the natural and physical worlds. Drawing upon the scientific disciplines of mathematics, biology, physics and psychology, RHYTHM takes as its construct the idea of time, the articulation of which means for apprehending and understanding rhythm. Working with outside advisors in science education and specific content areas, Co-PI Michael Oppenheimer will develop and build 20 exhibits, which will be semi- permanently installed at Children's Discovery Museum and accessible to our annual visitor population of 350,000; exhibits will also be profiled on "Kids" Clubhouse," a television program developed jointly by the Museum and our local PBS affiliate, KTEH/54, viewed by 55,000 weekly. Matching funds are also being requested to support curricular materials and a traveling version of RHYTHM. Over a 2-year, 8-site tour the Association of Science and Technology Centers projects that the series will reach a national audience of more than 1,000,000 children and adults. As a comprehensive project, RHYTHM provides a compelling model for addressing imperatives articulated in Science for All Americans, the landmark report issued by Project 2061 of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. Located in San Jose, California, the Museum serves an expanding urban area characterized by extraordinary ethnic diversity: Santa Clara County's 1.5 million residents are 42% non-Anglo, while San Jose is 50.8% Hispanic, Asian and Black.
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TEAM MEMBERS:
Sally OsbergKoen LiemTom NielsenMichael Oppenheimer
The New York Hall of Science is overseeing a complex, four-year applied research and traveling exhibit development project on "precursor concepts" to the theory of evolution. These concepts pertain to key ideas about life -- variation, inheritance, selection, and time (VIST) -- and are organized around the principle that living things change over time. The central research question is: Can informal, museum-based interventions prepare young children (5 -12) to understand the scientific basis of evolution by targeting their intuitive pre-evolutionary concepts? The work involves many collaborators -- museum personnel around the country, university researchers, exhibit designers and evaluators, web designers, the Association of Science-Technology Centers and a number of advisors in the biological sciences, psychology and in informal and formal education. The products include applied research studies that will add to the conceptual change knowledge base in cognitive psychology, a 1,000 square-foot exhibit plus discovery boxes, a section on the UC-Berkeley Understanding Evolution web site, extensive on site and online staff training opportunities for participating museums and others, several dissemination activities including two research symposia, and bilingual (English and Spanish) exhibit materials and family guides. The project is positioned as a new model in informal science education for integrating research, development and evaluation, with applicability beyond the life sciences to other STEM fields.
Cornell University will utilize planning grant funds to conduct front-end research to inform a major citizen science effort targeting Latino families in six major US cities. Partnering organizations include the New York Restoration Project (New York), Aspira of Illinois, Inc. (Chicago), Youth Policy Institute (Los Angeles), Chicanos Por la Causa, Inc. (Phoenix), the Children's Museum of Houston (Houston), and Aspira of Florida, Inc. (Miami) Project deliverables for the planning effort include culturally responsive research and subsequent dissemination of findings. The Garibay Group will create profiles of partner communities and conduct focus groups with potential project participants to examine attitudes towards science, interest in participatory science activities, tools (online bird identification, data entry, and data visualization tools), and technologies. The research will also include an analysis of existing data from interviews previously conducted by project partners. The research results will provide insights into effective strategies for engaging Latino audiences in citizen science efforts.
This planning activity will produce a prototype film on Spanish horses and conduct 10 focus group discussions to determine: audience interest, background knowledge, what viewers would like to see in this documentary, language barriers, cultural barriers, and how the film could be structured to help the public and teachers interact with children. The focus groups will target the follow groups: (1) middle school teachers, (2) elementary school teachers, (3) families with young children, (4) Hispanic families, (5) American Indian families, (6) youth ages 13-19, (7) horse lovers and those involved in horse activities, (8) senior citizens and individuals with disabilities, (9) documentary, museum exhibit and website production professionals, and (10) media and museum marketing professionals. The effort is intended to guide development of a PBS documentary, an interactive website, a companion book, and a museum exhibit on the origins, evolution, migration and impact of Spanish horses. STEM content in mathematics, genetics, paleontology, chemistry, evolution, and animal behavior, integrated with history, will be incorporated into the scripts for this diverse array of media platforms. The project also presents an opportunity to present in a very interesting and real sense the scientific process used for discovery. In addition to producing the prototype film and conducting focus group discussions, this planning grant will help to: clarify the responsibilities of all of the participants, especially the international participants; clarify the contributions from each discipline and scientist; plan in detail ways to achieve the greatest understanding with the anticipated diverse audiences; select the best geographic region, graphics, media, and animation; and establish realistic budgets and elements for production and post-production. Collaborators include: New Mexican Horse Project, New Mexico Museum of Natural History and Science, Habitat Media, University of New Mexico and Institute for Social Research, Cambridge University, Texas A &M University, Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico, Selinda Research Associates, and PBS.
The Oregon Museum of Science and Industry (OMSI) will develop "Outdoors Indoors, an Interactive Natural Science Exhibition for Young Children," ages 3-8, and their families. Two 2,500 sq. ft. versions of the exhibition will be developed -- one to be installed at OMSI and the other to travel. Building on children's innate curiosity about the natural world, the exhibition invites visitors to explore a woodland environment where they can develop process skills and learn natural science concepts. The exhibition will also focus on ways that parents can help encourage their children's science learning, both through exhibit activities and through exploration of the natural world outdoors. Bilingual text (English and Spanish) will help make the exhibition accessible to a diverse audience. Ancillary materials for families and educators will further enhance learning.
MacGillivray Freeman Films, in collaboration with Texas A&M University's Marine Mammal Research Program, Mote Marine Laboratory, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute, ASPIRA Association, Inc, and Media Education Consultants, is producing a 40 minute, large format film on wild dolphins. The film will feature the research being done by two scientists: Dr. Kathleen Dudzinski, a young marine scientist investigating dolphin communication and social systems, and Alejandro Acevedo-Gutierrez, a young Hispanic Ph.D. researching dolphin behavior and ecology. The film will inform the audiences about the methods, tools and significance of dolphin research and immerse them in on-going scientific investigations of wild dolphins in their natural habitat. The film will be supported by teacher's guides, a Science Career Exploration Unit for Hispanic youth distributed through ASPIRA, a School Trip Package for distribution to 11,000 teachers, and a Museum Educator Kit. The project also will provide theaters with 2,000 free passes for minority and low-income outreach programs. Greg MacGillivray, President of MacGillivray Freeman Films will be Executive Producer/Co-Producer/Co-Director/Co-Director of Photography. The other Co-Producer will be Alec Lorimore, Vice President for Film Production and Development at MacGillivray Freeman Films. The Co-Director/Co-Director of Photography will be Bob Talbot, an independent marine photographer. Dr. Bernd Wursig, Professor of Marine Mammalogy, Director of the Marine Mammal research Program, and Co-Director of the Institute of Marine Life Science at Texas A&M University will serve as the chief content advisor. Other science advisors include Alejandro Acevedo-Gutierrez, Kathleen Dudzinski, Randy Wells, Peter Tyack, and the staff scientists from the Mote Marine Laboratory. Informal science education and outreach advisors include Raylene Decatur, David Ellis, Freda Nicholson, Simone Bloom-Nathan, and Hilda Crespo. Project evaluation will be conducted by Barbara Flagg.
The Self Reliance Foundation in association with the Hispanic Radio Network over a five year period will produce and distribute a variety of daily Spanish-language radio programs on science education topics and follow-up outreach services to network listeners on science education and career opportunities. The applicants will add two science related episodes each week to Buscando La Belleza, the four-minute daily radio series for families that focuses on social issues, work issues, women's rights, and educational and career opportunities. It is carried on 100 stations with a weekly cumulative audience of 2,567,000 listeners. The new episodes will include: 52 role model interviews with Hispanic men and women who have careers in science, mathematics, and technology from technical positions not requiring a college degree to Ph.D.'s engaged in cutting edge research; 26 family involvement episodes with suggestions for parents to build their confidence in helping their children with homework, doing simple science activities with their children at home, encouraging their older children in their studies, and working with schools and community organizations; and 26 academic and career resource/success stories highlighting Hispanic students who have been successful in their pursuit of careers in science, mathematics, and technology. The second series included under the grant is Salvemos Nuestro Planeta, a two-and-a-half minute series that focuses on environmental issues. It currently is carried on 89 radio stations twice a week with a total weekly cumulative audience of 2,494,300. The producers will expand the series to seven original episodes per week with five episodes focusing on science, mathematics, and technology themes: general science literacy, environmental management and technology, computers and information technology, environmental activities for youth, and SMET career opportunities. Outreach will consist of a national Spanish language toll free phone number that will refer listeners to resources related to opportunities for scholarships in science and engineering, activities and resources for parents and children in science education, etc., and in some cases, connect callers to the subject of that days interview. The PI will be Roberto Salazar who has been chief assistant to Vicente Llamas at the Comprehensive Regional Center for Minorities. He has been involved in numerous science education project for Hispanics and has a background in radio. The Executive Producer will be Jeff Kline. Major science consultants will be Vicente Llamas, Director of the Comprehensive Regional Center for Minorities, and Estrella Triana, Hispanic Science Education Director for the American Association for the Advancement of Science.
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TEAM MEMBERS:
Roberto SalazarGilbert SanchezRobert Russell
The California Science Center (CSC) developed the "World of Ecology," a 45,000 sq ft permanent exhibition that involves the large-scale fusion of interactive science exhibits with the immersive live-habitat concept of zoos, aquariums and botanical gardens.The focus for this project is the Extreme Zone, which will explore how species adapt to their environment. It contains four habitats: the Sonoran desert, deep sea hydrothermal vents, polar regions and rocky shores and will include more than 259 terrestrial and aquatic animal and plant species. The overall goal is to communicate that in every ecosystem the physical and living worlds are connected and shaped by the same fundamental ecological principles. It will be achieved through the integration of science center exhibits with immersive habitats on a large scale. This approach provides an interesting model for the science center, museum, zoo and botanical garden fields. The target audience is the 1.6 million annual CSC visitors, 57% of whom are from minority populations, with an emphasis on families, elementary and middle school students. In addition, CSC will enhance the exhibition through outreach programs that serve at-risk students. All audio-visual programs will be available in Spanish as well as English, and a Spanish language audio guide will be produced. Collaboration with the Santa Barbara Zoo will bring valuable expertise as well as enhance prospects for dissemination.