This poster, which was presented in Alexandria, VA at the CAISE AISL PI meeting in February 2019, summarizes the Under the Arctic: Digging into Permafrost traveling exhibition developed for the Hidden World of Permafrost project.
The STEM + Digital Literacies (STEM+L) project investigates science fiction composing as an effective mechanism to attract and immerse adolescents (ages 10-13) from diverse cultural backgrounds in socio-scientific issues related to environment.
The participating students (G5-8) work in small groups to design and produce STEM content rich, multimedia science fictions during the summer (1 week) and the academic year (4-6 2.5hr sessions). Culminating activities include student presentations at a local science fiction film festival.
The research component employs an iterative, design-based
How does focusing on “community science literacy” change the role of an informal science learning center?
This poster was presented at the 2019 NSF AISL Principal Investigators meeting.
SciGirls CONNECT 2 is a three-year NSF project that examines how the gender equitable and culturally responsive strategies currently employed in the SciGirls informal STEM educational program influences middle school girls’ STEM identity formation.
Field stations across the United States provide learning opportunities to the general public through their outreach programming. With approximately 78% and 98% of the US population living within 60 and 120 miles of a field station, respectively, stations have the potential to be key providers of informal STEM education. We surveyed a sample of US biological field stations and asked them to describe their outreach programming and goals. Our findings indicate that field stations prioritize outreach by dedicating personnel and fiscal resources, but such initiatives are highly variable in
In this participatory research project, a partnership between the Kitty Andersen Youth Science Center (KAYSC) and the Department of Evaluation and Research in Learning at the Science Museum of Minnesota, participants are working to rename and reclaim theory and research methods so as to foster relevance and equity. We have renamed the theory of science capital: "science capitxl" signals its roots in equity work and invites questioning. We are using what we have called "embedded research practices" for data generation and analysis. This poster was shared at the 2019 AISL PI meeting.
The Monterey Bay Aquarium is planning to redesign existing conservation-related interactives as well as add new experiences on the Aquarium floor. In preparation for this project, the Aquarium sought to gain a better understanding of visitors’ awareness of and engagement in conservation-related actions and responses to conservation-related messaging. The Aquarium contracted with MWA Insights to conduct a front-end evaluation study to help inform the planning for these conservation stations. Specifically, the evaluation sought to understand:
Are visitors aware of issues affecting the
As part of its overall strategy to enhance learning in informal environments, the Advancing Informal STEM Learning (AISL) program funds innovative research, approaches, and resources for use in a variety of settings. This Pilots and Feasibility Studies project will design and study computer science education programs in three New York State prisons and cutting-edge computer science learning spaces in New York City and Bennington, VT for recently released men and women. These two sites of investment will be designed and operated with the goals of bridging informal STEM education inside the
This poster was presented at the 2019 NSF AISL Principal Investigators meeting.
The poster describes the Rural Activation and Innovation Network, in which four Arizona regions were selected for their uniqueness in geography and demographics to provide insights about barriers and solutions to implementing ISE experiences in rural communities.
This poster was created for the Advancing Informal STEM Learning (AISL) program Primary Investigator (PI) meeting. The research presented here is a summary of the various informal STEM learning opportunities offered as part of the collaboration between university researchers and museum practionners. We were interested in how museums can advance parent-child engagment in STEM-rich tinkering and reflection. The participants were able to take part of a few different activities that allowed for informal reflection and tinkering at the Tinkering Lab, a musuem exhibit that invites families to take
Building the capacity of public libraries and library staff to deliver engaging, inspirational, and educational STEM programs has the potential to transform the STEM education landscape across the country. What started in libraries some years ago as independent experiments in STEM programming has become a national STEM movement.
STAR Library Network (STAR Net) is a national program led by the Space Science Institute’s National Center for Interactive Learning (NCIL). STAR stands for Science-Technology Activities and Resources. NSF funds this Broad Implementation Phase 2 program. Core