In this article the authors discuss the importance of the use of natural instincts in teaching and studying science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) courses in U.S. middle and high schools. They present information on the Maker Movement, a campaign associated with the Maker Faire festivals and "Make" magazine, which encourages the use of creativity in STEM fields. Other topics include the importance of natural curiosity, building, and inventions in science education.
The article discusses the Maker Faires, a hybrid of science fairs, craft shows, and county fairs where people come to display what they have created and talk about what they learned. The faires are designed for people who work in places such as shops, garages, kitchen tables, schools, or science clubs, while they invent and innovate with new technologies, science, engineering, art performance and various crafts. The events' impact on economic development and education is mentioned.
The article focuses on the uTEC Maker Model, a maker education model that aims to help adults recognize behaviors they may only usually see in spurs. Topics discussed include using the item as intended by the inventor whose creative approach we trust, repurposing an item to use it in a different way than the inventor intended, and experimenting with an idea, invention, musical sound or video technique.
During the first EU-funded project EUSCE/X (European Science Communication Events / Extended), a "White Book" was developed in 2005, containing the experiences of exploring 21 European science engagement events like science festivals. The White Book has 13 chapters ranging from "purpose and philosophy" across "management", "education", "funding" to "European dimension".
The World Biotech Tour (WBT) is a multi-year initiative that will bring biotechnology to life at select science centers and museums worldwide. The program, supported by the Association of Science-Technology Centers (ASTC) and Biogen Foundation, is scheduled to run from 2015-2017, with the 2015 cohort in Belgium, Japan, and Portugal. The WBT will increase the impact and visibility of biotechnology among youth and the general public through hands-on and discussion-led learning opportunities. Applications are now open for the 2016 cohort! Learn more and submit an application at http://www.worldbiotechtour.org/become-a-stop
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TEAM MEMBERS:
Association of Science-Technology CentersCarlin Hsueh
Founded in 1999, the Silicon Valley Astronomy Lectures are non-technical illustrated public lectures, presented on six Wednesday evenings during each school year at Foothill College, in the heart of California's Silicon Valley. Speakers over the years have included a Nobel-prize winner, members of the National Academy of Sciences, the first woman in history to discover a planet, an astrophysicist who is an award-winning science fiction writer, and many other well-known scientists explaining astronomical developments in everyday language. The series is jointly sponsored by the Astronomical Society of the Pacific, the SETI Institute, NASA's Ames Research Center, and the Foothill College Astronomy Program. In-kind funding and staff time is contributed by the sponsoring organizations. The lectures are held and videotaped in the 950-seat Smithwick Theater in Los Altos Hills. Thanks to a generous grant from an anonymous local donor, each lecture is now video and audio taped, professionally edited, and made available free of charge on a number of web sites. Videotaped lectures include: * Frank Drake discussing his modern view of the Drake Equation, * Sandra Faber on how galaxies were "cooked" from the primordial soup, * Michael Brown explaining how his discovery of Eris led to the demotion of Pluto, * Alex Filippenko talking about the latest ideas and observations of black holes, * Natalie Batalha sharing the latest planet discoveries from the Kepler mission, * Anthony Aguirre discussing how it is possible to have multiple universes, and * Chris McKay updating the Cassini discoveries about Saturn's moon Titan.
The Education and Outreach (EO) program is an essential part of the CRISP MRSEC located at Yale and SCSU. CRISP offers activities that promote the interdisciplinary and innovative aspects of materials science to a diverse group of participants. The objective of the program is to enhance the education of future scientists, science teachers, K-12 students, parents, and the general public. CRISP’s primary informal science activities include public lectures, family science nights, New Haven Science Fair and museum partnerships.
Socioscientific issues in connection to energy production, use or influence on climate change continue to be at the forefront of local, national, and global debates. The pressing nature of these issues requires citizens not only to understand relevant disciplinary knowledge but also to have the ability to use that knowledge to take action. This paper investigates the work of youth in an after school science program designed to examine socioscientific issues as they took educated action in science by putting on a “green carnival” for their peers and community members in relation to green energy
Science from the Start provides informal science learning opportunities for children, mainly those of pre-school age, along with support and information for their parents/carers. Activities use free or low cost materials to facilitate recreation or expansion at home and address a broad range of scientific topics, often linking with wider local, national or international science awareness events to give extra context. Science from the Start has received funding and support from the Lancashire County Council, the Royal Society of Chemistry, the British Society for the History of Science, the British Pharmacological Society, and STEMnet.
The cultural phenomenon of 'science festivals' is ever expanding throughout the world, as universities, city and regional governments, and science engagement professionals alike embrace the concept of a focused 'celebration' of science. In the past however science festivals have been criticized for neglecting underrepresented audiences. This special issue explores the extent to which current science festivals have managed to engage with diverse publics, and identifies the key challenges facing the future of science festivals, most notably the need for deeper research into the impacts of
Overview of the Local Voices, Clever Choices Project: As part of the National Science Foundation funded "Sustainability: Promoting Sustainable Decision Making in Informal Education" project, the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry (OMSI) and its partners developed a bilingual (Spanish/English) outreach campaign- Local Voices, Clever Choices/Nuestras voces, nuestras decisiones. The goal of this and other deliverables was to promote sustainable decision making by building skills that allow participants to weigh the tradeoffs of their choices and thereby choose more sustainable practices. The
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TEAM MEMBERS:
Oregon Museum of Science and IndustryRenee B. CurtisKyrié Thompson Kellett
Overview of Sustainability
Events and Evaluation: As part of the National Science Foundation funded Sustainability: Promoting Sustainable Decision Making in Informal Education project, the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry (OMSI) project team designed and hosted seven events between September 2011 and July 2014. In line with the overall project goals: Participants will 1) capture the big idea, “We can cultivate a more sustainable community by building skills and making decisions that maximize positive impacts,” 2) practice skills necessary for making more sustainable choices that consider
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TEAM MEMBERS:
Oregon Museum of Science and IndustryRenee B. Curtis