In 2007, the Chabot Space & Science Center in Oakland, California, in collaboration with LodeStar Astronomy Center, and the Institute for Learning Innovation received a grant from the National Science Foundation to design, create, research, and distribute a planetarium show called Tales of the Maya Skies. The project was an ambitious effort that set out to accomplish multiple goals, including the production of an innovative full dome planetarium show, the demonstration of an innovative production model, and sharing lessons learned with the field. A description of the three major components of
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TEAM MEMBERS:
Mark St. JohnMichelle PhillipsChabot Space & Science CenterKatherine RamageDawn Robles
This report is the second annual report summarizing data collected about the overall impact of the Saint Louis Science Center's educational programs on participants. Data was collected between September 2007 to August 2008. Four programs, Challenger Learning Center Student Missions, MySci(TM), Nanofuture Forums, and Travel Programs, are spotlighted.
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TEAM MEMBERS:
Jennifer HeimElisa IsraelStaci WillisKaty LoftonYing LiuSaint Louis Science Center
The NSF-funded 400 Years of the Telescope project was a unique partnership among a public television station, a production studio, two planetariums and a leading astronomical society in the United States. Its five main components included a one-hour PBS documentary, a 22-minute planetarium program, a website with astronomical infromation, "star parties"(nighttime astronomical viewing events) and promotional events hosted by PBS affiliate stations. The summative evaluation focused on three main evaluation questions: 1) What are the individual and cumulative impacts of the menu of deliverables
Goodman Research Group completed the summative evaluation report of the Black Holes Experiment Gallery (BHEG), a traveling exhibit by the Harvard Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, which aimed at engaging museum visitors in the topic of black holes. One of the innovations of the project included the inclusion of significant input from youth collaborators in the exhibit's design and development phase in order to achieve improved audience impact and the other innovation was a Black Holes Explorer's Card which visitors used to collect digital artifacts at the museum and could access the
The following comprise the CONCLUSIONS of SRA's evaluation: POLAR-PALOOZA toured the United States at a time when the topic of climate change and global warming appeared relatively low on a list of Americans' concerns (Pew Research Center for the People and the Press, 2006), with the economy, war, and health care taking precedence. Nevertheless, POLAR-PALOOZA was a powerful format for engaging the public and teachers with science, while also being a rewarding and worthwhile experience for the traveling scientists. PPZA was an ambitious and complex undertaking designed to bring what is
The Museum of Science and Industry (MSI) in Chicago, Illinois partnered with Randi Korn & Associates, Inc. (RK&A) to evaluate its exhibition Explore: Blue Planet-Red Planet. A front-end evaluation was undertaken to help MSI staff find common ground between the proposed content and interpretation of the exhibition and potential visitors. Data were collected in May 2008 from drop-in visitors at MSI and consist of 35 in-depth interviews with 105 people.
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TEAM MEMBERS:
Randi KornMuseum of Science and Industry
Evaluation of the Space Command Exhibit began in October 2002 with a tracking and timing study. A random sample of 100 visitors to the exhibit was tracked and timed. A member of a visiting group was selected at random as the subject. Subjects were tracked from station to station and the time spent at each exhibit or panel was recorded. This gives a measure of the relative attracting and holding power of each exhibit station. After a subject completed a visit, a "sweep" count was made, which involved counting the number of people at each exhibit station. Sweeps give another measure of the
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TEAM MEMBERS:
Minda BorunFranklin Institute Science Museum
Out of This World: Canadian Science Fiction and Fantasy opened at the National Library of Canada (NLC) in Ottawa in May 1995, and a concurrent mini-exhibit was planned for the Merril Collection of Science Fiction, Speculation and Fantasy facilities in Toronto. This was expected to be a significant literary event and an effective initiative toward reaching important new audiences. The Library wanted to catalogue their SF collection because science fiction was one of the fastest growing literary genres. The codeveloper of the Exhibition, Allan Weiss, had done extensive research and compiled A
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TEAM MEMBERS:
Barbara SorenLORD Cultural Resources Planning & Management Inc.
Robotics brings together learning across mechanism, computation and interaction using the compelling model of real-time interaction with physically instantiated intelligent devices. The project described here is the third stage of the Personal Rover Project, which aims to produce technology, curriculum and evaluation techniques for use with after-school, out-of-school and informal learning environments mediated by robotics. Our most recent work has resulted in the Personal Exploration Rover (PER), whose goal is to create and evaluate a robot interaction that will educate members of the general
This report presents the findings of a summative evaluation of The Search for Life conducted by Randi Korn & Associates, Inc. (RK&A), for The New York Hall of Science (NY Hall) in Queens, New York. The Search for Life was developed by NY Hall staff and funded by the National Science Foundation, NASA and NASA Astrobiology Institute, New York City Department of Cultural Affairs with funds from the Office of the Mayor, Institute for Library Services, Anonymous and Wyeth. Data collection took place in October 2005.
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TEAM MEMBERS:
Randi Korn & Associates, Inc.New York Hall of Science
resourceprojectProfessional Development, Conferences, and Networks
Many museums currently produce bilingual exhibits, but very little research exists to inform practice. The Bilingual Exhibits Research Initiative (BERI), funded by the Advancing Informal STEM Learning (AISL) program at the National Science Foundation, addressed this critical knowledge gap. This exploratory research project investigated 1) current professional approaches to producing bilingual exhibits and 2) how bilingual exhibits provide opportunities for Spanish-speaking Latinos to engage in informal science learning. BERI's research with museum and science center staff documents current professional knowledge, concerns, opportunities, and constraints involved in the creation of bilingual exhibits. BERI's research with visitors explores how content and design affords and constrains visitors' engagement in museums and science centers. This work will inform professionals about the relevant factors and potential consequences of their decisions related to bilingual exhibits.
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.