The Workshop to Explore Engaging Broader Publics in Conversations about Assessment of the Societal Implications of New and Emerging Directions in Science and Technology (ECAST Workshop) was created to explore network-building activities to more broadly involve the public in deliberations about the assessment of technology. The workshop aimed to develop models for leveraging the work done by ECAST (Expert & Citizen Assessment of Science and Technology), and specifically expand the reach of the World Wide Views (WWViews) on Biodiversity deliberations. The project team wanted to brainstorm ways
In an effort to prepare female high school students for a college curriculum and achieve gender parity in the engineering industry, WGBH has developed an initiative entitled, Engineer Your Life (EYL). The initiative is targeted toward female high school students, career counselors/educators, and professional engineers. It is designed to: 1) increase these target audiences' understanding of engineering, 2) inspire young women to explore engineering as a career option and 3) help adults encourage young women to investigate engineering opportunities. One component of this initiative involves
Engaging and Learning for Conservation: Workshop on Public Participation in Scientific Research was held at the American Museum of Natural History 7-8 April 2011. This preliminary report is based on the delayed post feedback from workshop participants 2-3 months following the workshop. The overall goals of the project are to convene a workshop for scientists, educators, and community members involved in public participation in scientific research (PPSR) to share experiences, lessons, protocols, and tool and to collaboratively set forth a coherent agenda for answering outstanding questions for
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TEAM MEMBERS:
Joe E HeimlichAmerican Museum of Natural HistoryCornell UniversityNational Audubon Society
resourceevaluationProfessional Development, Conferences, and Networks
The National Center for Science and Civic Engagement (NCSCE) contracted Randi Korn & Associates, Inc. (RK&A) to evaluate its SENCER-ISE conference funded by the National Science Foundation and the Noyce Foundation. The goal of the conference was to bring together professionals from the informal and formal science education sectors to discuss civic engagement in science and initiate potential collaborations between the two science education sectors. The evaluation explored participants' conference experiences, ideas, and collaborations resulting from the conference. RK&A conducted 20 in-depth
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TEAM MEMBERS:
Randi Korn & Associates, Inc.Harrisburg University of Science and Technology
Illuminated Verses explored issues of traditional culture and modernity, as well as differences and diversity within the Islamic world, and offers an interpretive bridge to these content areas for both scholarly and general audiences. Through a symposium and a series of pre-events leading up to that program, Poets House and CityLore explored ways of using poetry, discussion and interpretation of poetry to create bridges for intercultural understanding. The symposium and pre-symposium events also served as a springboard to explore the potential for a broader, potentially national, program. This
The Nurture Nature Foundation’s Flood Forum project, funded by a two-year National Science Foundation (NSF) planning grant effective August 1, 2009, explored innovative means to promote science learning by and for local communities. The NSF planning grant allowed Nurture Nature Foundation (NNF) to develop a model of outreach for science centers that engages rural and underserved audiences in public dialogue on the science underlying an issue of high public concern—frequent flooding in Pennsylvania’s Lehigh Valley. Building on a public forum model used by other science centers such as the
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TEAM MEMBERS:
Alice ApleyNurture Nature Foundation
Engaging and Learning for Conservation: Workshop on Public Participation in Scientific Research was held at the American Museum of Natural History 7-8 April 2011. This preliminary report synthesizes the process evaluation with the workshop feedback provided by the participants. The overall goals of the project are to convene a workshop for scientists, educators, and community members involved in public participation in scientific research (PPSR) to share experiences, lessons, protocols, and tool and to collaboratively set forth a coherent agenda for answering outstanding questions for
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TEAM MEMBERS:
Joe E HeimlichAmerican Museum Natural HistoryCornell UniversityNational Audubon Society
This report presents a summary of findings from our evaluation and conclusions that may carry broader implications. The audience for this report includes The National Science Foundation (NSF) and other funders (particularly science research funders), the leadership and staff of Nanotechnology: the Convergence of Science and Society project partners, and the informal science education field. The main body of the report is organized into two sections. The first section discusses the project's logic model, or theory of action and frames what the project set out to do and how. The project's
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TEAM MEMBERS:
Mark St. JohnPamela CastoriOregon Public BroadcastingJudy Hirabayashi
Nanoscience is an emerging scientific field, and therefore an increasing amount of funding is flowing into nanoscience and nanotechnology research, including money from the federal government. Several studies of public understanding and public attitudes toward nanoscience have shown that most of the public is generally uninterested in and unmotivated to learn about nanoscale science and technology3. Because this emerging interdisciplinary field of science offers so much promise, and because it will have an increasing presence in everyday life, the NSF is committed to increasing public
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TEAM MEMBERS:
Mark St. JohnJenifer V. HelmsNanoscale Informal Science Education (NISE) NetworkPam CastoriJudy HirabayashiLaurie LopezMichelle Phillips
In recent years academic, engineering, business, and other fields, have launched major research and development efforts into the study and application of nanoscale science, engineering, and technology. In spite of all these efforts and the investment of millions of dollars, the general public has had little access to research findings and knowledge about the application of nanoscience and technology. Several studies have been conducted to assess public knowledge and understanding; they show that a large percentage of the public is not aware of this emerging field (as compared with other fields
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TEAM MEMBERS:
Dawn RoblesTwin Cities Public TelevisionJen HelmsMichelle Phillips
Knight Williams Research Communications (Knight Williams, Inc), an independent evaluation firm specializing in the development and evaluation of science education media, conducted the summative evaluation for Ice Stories. The evaluation focused on the extent to which the project achieved the goals described in the Exploratorium's grant to the National Science Foundation (NSF) Arctic Research and Education, Antarctic Coordination and Information program within the Division of Research on Learning in Formal and Informal Settings (DRL). The NSF DRL program provided funding for both the project
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TEAM MEMBERS:
Valerie Knight-WilliamsExploratoriumDivan WilliamsChristina MeyersOra GrinbergTal SraboyantsEveen ChanDavid Tower
WHAT IS RIVERWEBS? RiverWebs is an educational documentary film about river food webs and recent pioneering reearch that has explored their relationships to forest food webs, produced for PBS broadcast and DVD distribution RiverWebs uses a dramatic true story shared by several ecologists to engage viewers in the life and science of river ecosystems, and in the scientific process itself RiverWebs used a filmmaking approach that was very collaborative with scientists and included complete transparency, cooperative development, and a content standards and accuracy committee to engage scientists