In this paper, Donna Morganstern of Metropolitan State College of Denver discusses findings from two studies at Old Tucson, an old west theme park near Tucson, Arizona and one study at Plimoth Plantation, a recreated 1621 Pilgrim Village, Wampanoag homesite, and Mayflower replica in Plymouth, Massachusetts. Morganstern's research support hypotheses that themed environments influence visitors' conceptions of the past and attitudes toward the future, and that visitors perceive the past as a function of their own expectations and beliefs.
This paper describes findings from a study intended to improve the Confrontation Gallery at the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute. This remedial evaluation involved placing written text on the plexiglass photo panels that corresponded to the audi-recorded statements. Text placement was completed in two phases to asses the possibility that having written text on all panels would create competition for attention and result in less attention.
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Stephen BitgoodAnn CleghornAmy CotaMelody CrawfordDonald PattersonChris Danemeyer
In this paper, David M. Simmons discusses how the ongoing, extensive research program at Old Sturbridge Village supports its exhibits and public presentations. In particular, Simmons describes research efforts that analyze how modern audiences interact and respond to this 19th century museum village.
In this article, Susan Fisher of the Harn Museum of Art and John J. Koran, Jr. of the Florida Museum of Natural History discuss their study designed to demonstrate the feasibility of conducting evaluations at archeological sites. Specifically, the researchers conducted a summative evaluation of epistemic curiosity and knowledge of Spanish speaking and non-Spanish speaking visitors to the Maya site of Uxmal in the Yucatan Peninsula of Mexico.
WGBH Educational Foundation is producing a prime time television series and informal education outreach component entitled 'A Life of Science.' Each of the six one-hour programs in the series will profile a contemporary woman scientist: Lydia Villa-Komaroff, biologist; Melissa Franklin, physicist; Misha Mahowald, computational neuroscientist; Marcia NcNutt, geologist; Lynda Jordan, biochemist; and Patty Jo Watson, archaeologist. The stories will present their scientific quests and careers but also will be about scientific lives. An outreach plan, which centers around a national campaign called 'The Missing Persons Investigation,' will target two primary constituencies: girls and boys 11-14 years of age and their adult teachers and youth service community leaders. The project will serve these audiences in formal school-based settings as well as in the informal settings of community-based organizations and institutions. Beyond these immediate target groups, the outreach project will reach a broad and diverse national public through related activities including demonstrations exhibits, community campaigns at local public television stations, and media partnerships. A comprehensive promotion plan has been devised to inform the public of both the series and the outreach component of the project.
This is planning grant that will enable the AAAS to bring together a group of scientists, science educators, and television writers/producers to develop the concept and initial scripts for a television series about science that would be broadcast in prime time by one of the major networks. Tentatively entitled "The Dean," the series would be the story of a Dean of Arts and Sciences at a university which is modeled after a small M.I.T. The University has made it reputation by being at the forefrmnt of scientific research. The Dean is in the center of an exciting and fascinating vortex. Each week the Dean deals with issues that range from social implications of new types of new types of genetic engineering research to the intrigue of procuring top secret military contracts. The issues are presented as stories about people -- the scientists, the students, CEOs and politicians who try to influence the Dean as he/she grapples with the scientific issues. Specific activities during the planning phase include: o Bringing together an advisory group to develop storylines that maximize the amount of science without damaging the prime-time, entertainment constraints. o Writing of an initial script and an outline of the major elements of a series. o Presentation of the concept and script to top executives at major networks to assess their interest in and possible commitment to the series. The key personnel in the planning phase would be Gerald Wheeler, Director of the AAAS division for Public Understanding of Science and Technology; Leon Lederman, physicist and initial creator of the general concept; and Adrian Malone, television producer of such major series as "The Ascent of Man" and "Cosmos."
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Robert HirshonLeon LedermanGerald Wheeler
This funding is for a planning phase of the Genome Radio Project, a multifaceted project that will produce 17 1/2 hours of radio programming, plus a variety of printed and electronic ancillary materials, exploring the science and social implications of human genetic research. The planning grant will enable the project team to develop further five key areas: o To work with advisors to define their process of editorial oversight and their involvement in the program ppoduction process; o To produce a half-hour documentary pilot program; o To use the pilot program to solidify distribution agreement with networks and major market stations; o To develop ancillary materials to accompany the pilot program and to determine mechanisms for the distribution of these materials; and o To conduct focus group evaluation of the pilot program and to define specific evaluation plans for the broader series.
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Barinetta ScottMatt BinderJudith Thilman
The Science Museum of Minnesota (SMM) will develop an interdisciplinary national traveling exhibition about raptors (birds of prey). Created in collaboration with The Raptor Center at the University of Minnesota (TRC) and the Museum Magnet School of the St. Paul School District, this exhibit and its related programs will explore themes of biodiversity, ecology, and human relationships with the natural world. It will help visitors understand raptors as diverse, charismatic, biologically-complex animals whose continued survival is linked to fundamental questions of public policy, economics, and environmental ethics. combining the perspectives of the sciences with those of the humanities, the exhibit will present science in a real-world context of human values and actions. Opening at SMM in the summer of 1944, the 5,000-square-foot exhibit will travel for five years or more to other large museums, nature centers, and zoos throughout the U.S. Using specimens, models, artifacts, dioramas, audiovisual programs, and interactive components and supported by theater, demonstrations, and a variety of other on-site programs, it will provide a compelling mix of informal learning experiences for families, school groups, and other general audiences. Beyond the museum walls, the themes of the project will reach schools and other important outreach audiences through videotapes, teacher training programs, educational materials, and other programs. SMM will also produce a scaled-down version of the exhibit that will tour to smaller museums, nature centers, and zoos.
The Pratt Museum, a natural history museum in Southcentral Alaska, proposes to bring before the public an exhibition on oil pollution. Using the historic disaster of the March 1989 grounding of the Exxon Valdez, the museum presents a dramatic, grassroots story of the desperate struggle to protect the environment and preserve traditional lifestyles. The exhibit's purpose is to increase public awareness of national and global issues pertaining to the development, transportation, and use of petroleum. The 1,500 square foot presentation shows what an oil spill is like through photographs, maps, graphics, and three- dimensional participatory elements. The exhibit is scheduled to open at the Smithsonian's Museum of Natural History in early 1991, beginning a three-year tour of 12 museums that will reach between 1.5 and 2 million viewers. The NSF contribution will support the circulation of the exhibit and the development of interactive components to enhance both the permanent and traveling presentations. Computerized graphic displays and an educational chest of learning tools will enhance the basic exhibit through multi- sensory activities designed for hands-on gallery use, increasing accessibility for children and disabled visitors. This cooperative project invloves private foundations, individuals, the Environmental Protection Agency, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and Alaska Department of Fish and Game.
National Public Radio is seeking to expand its coverage of scientific issues in two ways: through the creation of a new Environmental Reporting Unit, and through the introduction of SCIENCE FRIDAY, a two hour call-in talk show dedicated to scientific issues. Each of these projects will be supported by an extensive outreach effort targeted at local schools, community groups, science museums, and nature centers. Through the Environmental Reporting Unit, NPR plans to produce eight to ten half hour documentary reports per year on critical environmental issues. Each of these reports will be available to listeners on cassette and will be accompanied by supporting documentation. The SCIENCE FRIDAY team will engage NPR's audience in a lively debate on questions ranging from nuclear physics to archaeology. In addition, SCIENCE FRIDAY will travel to high schools and museums across the country and engage in question and answer sessions with students, teachers, parents and school administrators. These "on the road" segments will be supplemented by live broadcasts from annual meetings of the National Association for Science (NAS) and the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS). Through these efforts, NPR will be able to draw listener attention to the need for improved science and mathematics education, while helping listeners make informed evaluations of current public policy in these areas.
The North Carolina State Museum of Natural Sciences requests $544,390 for the design and implementation of Freshwater Westlands: Habitats of Beauty and Function. This project consists of two main components: a 2,800 sq. ft. exhibit and related education program. The exhibit will communicate ecological principles and provide visitors of all ages with an appreciation of the diversity and beauty of freshwater wetlands habitats. The exhibit is comprised of three main areas: an introductory theater, an immersion diorama, and an interactive hall. Exhibits are designed to present many aspects of freshwater wetland habitats, including hydrology, dendrochronology, organism structure, and function, life- cycle, ecological research, and environmental policy. Through interactive exhibits on scientific concepts, visitors will gain an appreciation of both a particular habitat and the process of science and its application to their lives. The major objectives of the education program are to help teachers of grades 4-8 to bring the study of freshwater wetlands into their classrooms and to employ experientially oriented pedagogy. The project will offer a teacher resource guide, prepared in collaboration with state science curriculum staff, a satellite workshop for teachers, a freshwater wetlands edition of Wildlife in North Carolina, a statewide publication prepared in collaboration with the NC Wildlife Resources Commission, and a classroom program in the museum.
LIVING ON EARTH is a new weekly National Public Radio newsmagazine about the people and politics of environmental change. It goes beyond the ecological segments on NPR's ALL THINGS CONSIDERED and MORNING EDITION to meet the growing demand for consistent, high quality, balanced and in-depth coverage of the environment, and scientific discoveries and advancements relevant to the rapidly changing ecology of our planet. Audience research consistently shows that information about the environment is a priority to a broad majority of public radio listeners, and these listeners are twice as likely as all adults to take personal and political action in relation to environmental concerns. With the premiere of Living On Earth in April 1991, public radio in the U.S. began serving its national audience with its first journalistically strong environmental show, Living On Earth. Each week's edition of Living On Earth begins with a one minute billboard, followed by a five minute newscast summarizing national and world ecological and scientific developments. The newscast includes modular breaks so that stations can insert two minutes of local environmental news. The balance of each program is devoted to a theme, with produced reports followed by a five minute newscast summarizing national and world ecological and scientific developments. The newscast includes modular breaks so that stations can insert two minutes of local environmental news. The balance of each program is devoted to a theme, with produced reports followed by interviews, commentaries, and occasional humor. From time to time the show is devoted to a full-length documentary or debate special. Standards of thoroughness, fairness, and excellence result in shows that stimulate as well as inform. Distributed by National Public Radio, the program is available to more than 400 NPR stations in the U.S. Already 160 of those stations have signed up to air the program. Many environmental issues -- sustainable energy, population, biological degradation, sustainable economic development and pollution, for example -- are of global concern and cut across political, racial and cultural boundaries. Material and information for Living On Earth is obtained from diverse producers and will be exchanged with public radio services around the world.