The importance of Ice Stories derives from its creative use of the latest communications media to convey the latest polar research. By teaching scientists to communicate, by establishing a Web site devoted to polar research, Ice Stories humanizes science and brings it to a broad, diverse audience with unprecedented immediacy, thanks to the growth of digital media. This project comes when the stakes—posed by planetary warming— have never been higher, when the techniques of media production have never been more accessible, and when the potential audience—fueled by public concern and IPY activity—has never been larger. The Exploratorium will train scientists as correspondents, shape and channel their work, and create the Web site that will be a major international hub showcasing the range of IPY research and commentary. The training and production phases of the project were field-tested with polar scientists in 2006, and the museum is an experienced producer of Web and live programs from the poles. Ice Stories conceptualizes a new model of communication with great implications for informal science education. Scientists can now bring their research directly to the public, instead of having it filtered through traditional journalistic media. Ice Stories achieves this new model by organizing three innovative components: intensive media training for polar researchers; a museum-based production unit; and the project’s informal-education Web 2.0 portal. Scientist-produced video, audio, photo-essays and blogs will be accessed free via the Web site and such technology platforms as downloadable podcasts, vodcasts, RSS feeds and by posting on popular Web sites and by dissemination through journalistic media. Deliverables include (1.) Correspondent Training—week-long workshops in media for a minimum of 20 scientists in spring and fall 2008. (2.) Productions—STEM content from correspondents, each spending 5-10 hours a week producing from the field. (3.) Media Assets Database—fully accessible correspondent productions plus material from other polar projects and collaborating institutions. (4.) Exhibits—IPY Production Studio at the Exploratorium and project material used internationally in IPY exhibitions. The project design benefits from the museum’s 30 years of making science accessible to visitors, its 22 years of creating professional development courses for educators, and its use of scientists as research guides in previous Webcast projects. Project leaders have polar experience and have collaborative relationships with researchers. Instructors for media workshops include top professionals, and project partnerships encompass major projects at both poles.
Cosmic Serpent - Bridging Native and Western Science Learning in Informal Settings is a four-year collaboration between the Indigenous Education Institute and the University of California-Berkeley targeting informal science education professionals. This project is designed to explore the commonalities between western science and native science in the context of informal science education. The intended impacts are to provide informal science education professionals with the skills and tools to gain an understanding of the commonalities between native and western worldviews; create regional networks that bridge native and museum communities; develop science education programs in which learners cross cultural borders between western science and indigenous peoples; and meet the needs of diverse audiences using culturally-responsive approaches to science learning. Participants are introduced to topics in physical, earth, space, and life science, using an interdisciplinary approach. Deliverables include professional development workshops, peer mentoring, museum programs for public audiences, a project website, and media products for use in programs and exhibits. Additionally, regional partnerships between museums and native communities, a legacy document, and a culminating conference jointly hosted by the National Museum of the American Indian and the Association of Science and Technology Centers will promote future sustainability. Strategic impact is realized through participants' increased understanding of native and western science paradigms, museum programs that reflect commonalities in the two approaches, partnerships between museums and native communities, and increased institutional capacity to engage native audiences in science. This project directly impacts 270 informal educators at 96 science centers and tribal/cultural museums nationally while the resulting programs will reach an estimated 200,000 museum visitors.
ENERGY-NET (Energy, Environment and Society Learning Network) brings together the Carnegie Museum of Natural History (CMNH) with the learning science and geoscience research strengths at the University of Pittsburgh to create rich opportunities for participatory learning and public education in the arena of energy, the environment, and society using an Earth systems science framework. ENERGY-NET builds upon a long-established teen docent program at CMNH and forms Geoscience Squads comprised of underserved teens. Together, the ENERGY-NET team, including museum staff, experts in informal learning sciences, and geoscientists spanning career stage (undergraduates, graduate students, faculty) provides inquiry-based learning experiences guided by Earth systems science principles. Together, the team works with Geoscience Squads to design "Exploration Stations" for use with CMNH visitors that employ an Earth systems science framework to explore the intersecting lenses of energy, the environment, and society. The goals of ENERGY-NET are to: 1) Develop a rich set of experiential learning activities to enhance public knowledge about the complex dynamics between Energy, Environment, and Society for demonstration at CMNH; 2) Expand diversity in the geosciences workforce by mentoring underrepresented teens, providing authentic learning experiences in earth systems science and life skills, and providing networking opportunities with geoscientists; and 3) Institutionalize ENERGY-NET collaborations among geosciences expert, learning researchers, and museum staff to yield long-term improvements in public geoscience education and geoscience workforce recruiting.
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TEAM MEMBERS:
Carnegie-Mellon UniversityMary Ann SteinerEmily ElliotKevin CrowleyUniversity of Pittsburgh and Carnegie Museum of Natural History
"Constructivist Reflections: World of Water Project Planning" is a planning activity to be carried out by Discovery 2000, Inc. They are developing a 14,000 sq. ft. area of aquatic exhibits and support spaces that will increase visitors understanding of the science concepts related to water, aquatic habitats, and organisms. The exhibit area will be developed in two phases. Phase I will be completed in the spring of 1998. It will consist of 15 or so fresh-and saltwater habitat tanks, a learning laboratory, a small program theater, a salt marsh touch pool and eight interactive exhibits. Phase II, for which this planning support will be used, will consist of an additional 25 interactive exhibits and associated programs. The Phase I area will serve as an experimental laboratory for the creation of the Phase II learning activities. With this planning grant, they will hold three staff development workshops, a planning seminar focusing on the learning theory of constructivism and how it can inform and drive exhibit and program development, produce a report of the seminar proceedings, and identify and recruit a national advisory team to assist with the development of Phase II. As a result of the planning activity their staff will be informed about constructivist theory and its application to museum exhibits and activities, they will increase their knowledge of front-end evaluation strategies, they will develop new community and professional partnerships, and they will have a plan to use as they move forward with the implementation of Phase II exhibits.
The Ft. Worth Museum of Science and History will plan activities related to their proposed exhibit "Texas Pre-History: How Do We Know?" This will be a 10,000 sq. ft. permanent exhibit along with a traveling exhibit and education program menu and will feature a constructivist approach to inquiry-based learning focusing on archaeological and paleontological fieldwork being carried out in Texas today. Research sites prominently featured in the exhibit will be several early Cretaceous dinosaur sites excavated by paleontologists Louis Jacobs, and Dale Winkler, Southern Methodist University, and archaeological sites from early Clovis and Dalton Periods being excavated under the direction of archeologist Reid Ferring, University of North Texas. The exhibits and complementary activities will explore the questions a) what is being learned about the prehistory of Texas b) how do scientists interpret their findings and c) what don't we know? With this planning grant, they will conduct extensive front end studies to identify key questions that visitors will have when they come to the exhibit. Meetings with advisors to develop a conceptual plan for the exhibit and educational materials. During these sessions such questions as the following will be explored. A) "How can the Museum pre-design multiple mysteries and outcomes to satisfy the interest of diverse visitors...", b) can the museum combine paleontology and archaeology without perpetuating the naive notion that dinosaurs and people lived at the same time, c) what materials and policies will be developed to handle the creationism vs evolution that might arise, and d) how will the challenges of circulating the traveling exhibit be addressed? Museum staff will travel to other museums to examine model exhibits, and project staff will work with teachers to develop project-related formal education programs.
The NOVA Large-format Film unit of the WGBH Educational Foundation, in conjunction with the New England Aquarium, is producing a large format film about Cocos Island, a small, uninhabited island off the coast of Costa Rica that has not yet been affected by human activity. The waters around Cocos Island contain an extraordinary abundance of sharks, rays, tuna, marlins, swordfish, and other pelagic fishes, thanks to nearby upwellings of cold, nutrient-rich water that create a rich food source. The film will focus on the physical oceanography and behavioral marine ecology of Cocos Island, highlighting the animal behavior and interactions of the wide diversity of marine life. Executive Producer will be Paula Apsell, head of the WGBH science unit and Executive Producer of NOVA. Susanne Simpson, executive producer for NOVA Large-format Films will as a senior producer. Howard Hall Productions will produce and direct the film. Howard Hall will be director/producer, and Michele Hall will serve as producer. The Halls are experts in the field of marine natural history filmmaking and are world-renowned for their television programs on such series as National Geographic and Nature. They worked in the large format medium as producer/directors of Into the Deep. Joseph Levine, a marine biologist who has written both science textbooks and television scripts, will be the writer. William Spitzer, Associate Director for Education at the New England Aquarium, will be responsible for the educational outreach materials.
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TEAM MEMBERS:
Paula ApsellSusanne SimpsonJerry SchubelKenneth MalloryBarbara Flagg
The Science Museum of Minnesota (SMM) will develop Window on Catalhoyuk: An Archaeological Work in Progress. The project will include a 4,500 sq. ft. exhibit, a World Wide Web site, an exhibit cookbook for archaeology interactives developed for the exhibit, and a suite of related classroom activities. Catalhoyuk is currently the most important archaeological site in Turkey and among the most significant cultural heritage monuments in the world. It consists of two mounds located on either side of an ancient river channel. The larger mound has Early Neolithic age occupation levels (9000 and 7500 years ago) and represents one of the largest known Neolithic settlements, holding links to the beginnings of agriculture, animal domestication, and the rise of urban complexity. The smaller mound consists of more recent occupations (7500 to 5000 years ago). Together they may record nearly 10,000 years of human occupation. SMM has been a partner, along with the Turkish team, in the Catalhoyuk Research Project since its inception in 1993 and has the responsibility of developing public programs and for bringing the research findings before a worldwide audience. Unlike a traditional approach where the results of archaeological research appear years after the excavations, this project will focus on the process of archaeology giving visitors the opportunity of learning about the workings of contemporary archaeology and the nature of scientific inquiry, along with the important insight into the beginning of Mediterranean civilization. The exhibit will be updated annually for two years to reflect new results of ongoing fieldwork. The project addresses the National Science Education Standards, particularly those related to science as inquiry and to the history and nature of science.
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TEAM MEMBERS:
Donald PohlmanNatalie RuskOrrin Shane
The University Museum of the University of Colorado at Boulder will plan a 3,000 square foot exhibit, "From Grassland to Glacier: Planning for an Interactive Exhibit on Biodiversity," to replace the antiquated Biology Hall in the Museum which is located on the Boulder campus. The goals of the project are two-fold: 1) to plan an innovative interactive exhibit presenting current research and pressing environmental issues to a diverse audience, and 2) to serve as a model for other university museums in bringing together researchers, exhibit specialists, undergraduate and graduate students, K-12 teachers, and visitors to plan an exhibit. The planning phase will involve researching other exhibit projects on biodiversity that have successfully communicated with underserved audiences; traveling to other science museums to learn about exhibits on biodiversity; bringing a specialist to Boulder to meet with the exhibit team; assessing the baseline knowledge of the core concepts; meeting with prospective visitors, university scientists, and representatives from collaborative organizations; and drafting a conceptual plan for the exhibit.
WGBH is shooting some test footage for a science series on fire. This Small Grant for Exploratory Research will enable the producers to film a major controlled burn, called Frostfire, in the forests north of Fairbanks, Alaska. This is the only opportunity to film this 2,200 acre burn that has been set to examine the ecological consequences of fire on land and in the air. Researchers have been studying the hydrology, climate and ecosystem of this watershed since 1969, and the fire will be a continuation of that research, aiming to extend the understanding of the effects of this type of disturbance in many areas, including global warming, permafrost vulnerability, vegetation patterns and variables, and fire and smoke plume behaviors. This SGER also will enable WGBH to examine how the television series can best present this kind of major fire in the series. While there have been images of mass fire presented on television before, filmmakers have almost always come to a large fire that is already in progress. Being involved in the planning and initial phases of the Frostfire effort will enable WGBH to test the extent to which it is possible, by taking advantage of the scientists' planning and by careful placement of cameras, to record a fire in a new and meaningful way. The production team also will be able to experiment with and establish the best ways to track a fire. This knowledge can then be applied to future filming of wildfires.
The Science Museum of Minnesota will develop "After the Dinosaurs", an exhibit that will feature a detailed reconstruction of the ecology of a Paleocene subtropical environment that existed in the North Plains of North America (58 million years ago). Information presented in the exhibit will come from a 25 year research project carried out by SMM curator Bruce R. Erickson and his colleagues at Wannagan Creek Quarry in northwestern North Dakota. This research has yielded one of the most complete assemblages of Paleocene megafossils in North America. Both the increased knowledge gained from this research and process of the research will be highlighted in this exhibit. Visitors will learn that the world's landscape has changed considerably over time, the analysis of fossils helps scientists reconstruct the past, knowledge of former ecosystems help us to understand current ecosystems, and everyone can be a scientific investigator when we attempt to understand our environment in a systematic way. Two versions of the exhibit will be prepared: a 4000 sq. ft. permanent version that will be installed in the new SMM river front building and will open in late 2000. There will also be a 2500 sq. ft. traveling version that will begin its national tour in 2002. Complementary programming will include an on-line interactive teacher guide and student project curriculum, a teachers' institute, and a variety of youth programming including specially developed interpreter training materials. The exhibit will be accessible to people with disabilities.
The Meadowlands Environmental Center, reaching 60,000 members of the public annually, will develop test and implement the "Marsh Access" program." This project will identify and test appropriate assistive technologies and programmatic approaches engaging 5,000 adults from specific disability groups in outdoor field-based experiences in order to better support their engagement, to foster their interest in science and to improve their scientific literacy. One hundred professionals will participate in conferences and professional development around the implementation of these programmatic approaches and will create plans to implement similar programming in outdoor settings across the nation. Utilizing an accessible outdoor garden and trail in the marshes of the New Jersey Meadowlands, Ramapo College in partnership with the New Jersey Meadowlands Commission, Recording for the Blind and Dyslexic, Spectrum for Living and the Adler Aphasia Center will identify and prototype kiosks and educational programming. Evaluation and program development will focus on identifying specific tools and approaches for engaging people with visual, hearing, mobility, mental/cognitive and age related disabilities. Data will be collected through observations, surveys and focus groups during a field testing process with groups of individuals from partner agencies over the three years of the program. Deliverables include two programmatic modules focusing on the science, natural history and ecology of the meadowlands, two multi media kiosks at points along the outdoor trail, a set of assistive technologies for use by public audiences in both facilitated and non facilitated experiences, and a set of program materials available to the public outlining the process and findings of the program.
SOUNDPRINT, the weekly half-hour nationally broadcast public radio documentary series, proposes a 16-program SOUNDPRINT SCIENCE SERIES comprising four thematic components of four programs each, which explore and examine current issues and ideas in the areas of 1) Biodiversity and Species Management; 2) Invasions: The Predator and the Prey; 3) Cultural Geography; and 4) The Meanings of Science. The series offers listeners a variety of experiences illustrative of the breadth of what is defined as science. Scientific thought and method are presented through a humanistic storytelling approach that capitalizes on the imaginative quality of sound to immerse listeners in the exploration of phenomena. Each documentary explores a single subject, placing it in a meaningful context, and taking listeners beyond the surface of simple fact reporting. Programs translate complex scientific ideas into accessible, memorable stories that increase awareness and understanding of science for a broad population (SOUNDPRINT REACHES OVER 250,000 LISTENERS EACH WEEK). The SOUNDPRINT SCIENCE SERIES will be broad cast as a series of quarterly, month-long specials, with promotional, education and community outreach materials provided to stations. Post- broadcast application of the programs includes development of teacher guide packets targeted to the middle school level and repacking of programs for educational purposes in multi-media and interactive settings. Cassette copies of programs are shared by listeners in professional, educational, and informal settings. Major scientific disciplines involved include: biology, environmental sciences, geography, life sciences, mathematics and physics. The Proposed SOUNDPRINT SCIENCES SERIES is submitted to the National Science Foundation Informal Science Education Program. Programs in the series are geared to a broad, general audience, elementary through adult populations.