The American Museum of the Moving Image (AMMI) will develop and distribute a traveling version of their permanent exhibit, Behind the Screen. The project, which consists of a 4,000 to 6,000 square foot traveling exhibit and related educational materials, will focus on the science and technology underlying movies and television, including motion, light and optics, sound, electricity and magnetism, chemistry, and geometry/trigonometry. The exhibit also will examine the impact of advances in the technology of movies and television and the resulting impact on audiences and society. The PI will be Rochelle Slovin, founding director of the AMMI. Carl Goodman, Curator of Digital Media, and Richard Koszarski, Head of Collections and Exhibitions, will serve as exhibit content specialists. The integration of science principles and activities into the exhibit will be under the direction of Ted Ansbacher, a physicist who previously served as Director of Exhibits at the New York Hall of Science. Thom Thacker, Director of Education at the AMMI, will be responsible for the development of educational outreach material.
COSI Columbus will develop "Speed," a traveling exhibition. "Speed" is a 6,000-square-foot, interactive traveling exhibition introducing visitors to the science of speed. Visitors experience extreme and slow speeds through a variety of interactives. The exhibition emphasizes the role of speed -- that is, the physical phenomenon of changing motion over time -- in governing biological, geological and electronic processes as well as the central role of mathematics as the language of physical science.
The Field Museum of Natural History in Chicago, with partial support from NSF, will develop science, mathematics, and technology components for a new, permanent 17,000 square foot exhibition on the Pacific. Broad in scope and dramatic in its impact, this exhibition will cut across many fields and disciplines in presenting a coherent, integrated view of the Pacific regions. Topics from anthropology, geology, biology and geography will be combined using collections, reconstructed objects, large scale models, and interactive components in this landmark exhibition. The project will make extensive use of leading researchers, educators, and an evaluation consultant, and will utilize a variety of prototyping and formative exhibit development techniques. The science, mathematics and technology portion will cost $ 1.9 million, of which approximately one third is requested from NSF. The complete 17,000 square foot exhibition will cost $ 3.3 million and will be seen by at least 10 million adults and children over its 20 year life.
The Challenger Center for Space Science Education located in Alexandria, Virginia, a nonprofit organization with a mission to increase the number of youth interested in science and space, is requesting $303,170 over two years from the National Science Foundation (NSF) to develop a new scenario for its Challenger Learning Centers. Located in science centers. museums and schools around the country. Learning Centers house equipment and educational programming for hands-on training during a simulated mission. Scenarios use mathematics, science and problem-solving skills to provide participants with simulated experiences of working in a space laboratory and a "Mission control" laboratory. Challenger Center requests assistance and partnership from NSF to develop, field test, implement and evaluate a new scenario on the environment, "Mission to Planet Earth" scenario. This project will involve collaboration of expert scientists, educators, Challenger staff, and science museum professionals. Annually more than 180,000 students and between 10,000 and 15,000 adults will participate in the scenario at Learning Centers, using space as a format for learning about environmental issues. Challenger is working on the preliminary planning stage between June and December 1991. Two years of funding are requested from NSF beginning in January 1992.
George Awad, an artisan noted for his superb architectural models turned his talent to pursue his personal fascination with science and astronomy. The results was a preliminary prototype of a stunningly detailed and beautiful exhibit called "Model of the Universe by Powers of Ten". A special showing of the exhibit by the Planetary Society drew rave reviews from an audience of noted scientists and science educators. Preliminary showings at the Montshire Museum of Science and at the Smithsonian's Experimental Gallery demonstrated its unusual appeal withthe general public, and a second modified and larger version has been created by Mr. Awad. Montshire Museum of Science proposes to collaborate with the Maryland Science Center and with Mr. Awad to 1) further refine the two existing prototype exhibits, 2) develop companion interpretive materials to more fully convey the astronomical and mathematical concepts implicit in the exhibits, and 3) display the two prototypes at the two collaborating museum sites and evaluate their effective with the public. This work is intended to guide the proposed creation (not part of this proposal) of a permanent and much larger-scale "Universe" exhibit designed to be circulated among major science museums.
This exhibit will integrate graphics, artifacts, highly interactive electro-mechanical demonstration devices together with state of the art interactive educational computer technology to demonstrate how probability shapes nature. It will draw its examples from a variety of scientific fields including physics, chemistry, earth sciences, and biology. It is planned as a permanent addition to the Museum's exhibition program, but will be designed to facilitate easy reproduction for individual copies or for circulation as a travelling exhibit. Millions of visitors--families, teachers, children form diverse communities--will gain a first hand aesthetic appreciation of the pattern finding process of scientific investigation as well as a better understanding of the usefulness of mathematics in explaining how the natural world works.
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TEAM MEMBERS:
H. Eugene StanleyDouglas SmithEdwin Taylor
The Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago is producing a large format film that examines the sun and the relationship between the earth, its inhabitants, and our mother star. SOLARMAX will present some of the newest discoveries about the sun and will place special emphasis on the defining impact of the sun on human life and culture. The influence of solar cycles on global warming will be explored and new, unprecedented high-definition images of the sun will be included for the first time in a large format film. The film will examine how multiple scientific disciplines interact to build a complete picture of the universe by delving into the history and philosophy of science, astronomy, astrophysics, solar physics, helioseismology, meteorology, spectrography, mathematics, and biology. The Museum of Science and Industry, Chicago, will serve as Executive Producer and distributor of SOLARMAX. The film will be produced by Robert Eather, an expert in magnetospheric physics and a science filmmaker. The Co-Producer, Writer, and Director will be John Weiley who previously served in these roles for the large format film, Antarctica. Advisors in the fields of space weather, solar physics, and archaeoastronomy include Louis Lanzerotte, Paul Dusenbery, Gaerhardt Haerendell, George Siscoe, and Edwin Krupp.
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Robert EatherJohn WeileyJohn WickstromMuseum of Science and Industry
The Ft. Worth Museum of Science and History will develop "Texas Dinosaurs: How Do We Know? -- Regional Dissemination of Science Inquiry Exhibits and Educational Programs on Paleontology." This will be a major permanent and portable exhibition project that will be accompanied by an array of educational programs for formal and informal audiences throughout Texas. The permanent 12,000 sq. ft. exhibit, "Texas Dinosaurs: How Do We Know?", will recreate field and laboratory processes of paleontological research in an inquiry approach to public learning in geology, biology, ecology and mathematics. Portable versions of the exhibit will be distributed to the Dinosaur Valley State Park in Glen Rose, the Texas Parks and Wildlife Headquarters, the Panhandle-Plains Historical Museum in Canyon, the Science Spectrum in Lubbock, the McAllen International Museum, and the El Paso Insights Science Museum -- all in Texas. Regional dissemination of "How Do We Know?" exhibits and educational programs and materials will reach at least 1.5 million people annually, including isolated rural communities in the large geographic region of Texas.
More and more young people are learning about science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) in a wide variety of afterschool, summer, and informal programs. At the same time, there has been increasing awareness of the value of such programs in sparking, sustaining, and extending interest in and understanding of STEM. To help policy makers, funders and education leaders in both school and out-of-school settings make informed decisions about how to best leverage the educational and learning resources in their community, this report identifies features of productive STEM programs in
This is a report of an evaluation of the content and design of the science components of the Education Development Center's TV411 program, conducted by Owen Consulting, Inc. In 2010, EDC received a grant from NSF to reconstruct the TV411 website, produce new science content, including videos and web lessons, improve user interactivity, and develop materials to support adult educators who work with the site's target population of low literacy adults. This report lays out the evaluation design, provides an overview of site web metrics, describes the registered user population discusses the ways
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Education Development CenterEric GraigDavid Owen
This volume explores how technology-supported learning environments can incorporate physical activity and interactive experiences in formal and informal education. It presents cutting-edge research and design work on a new generation of "body-centric" technologies such as wearable body sensors, GPS tracking devices, interactive display surfaces, video game controller devices, and humanlike avatars. Contributors discuss how and why each of these technologies can be used in service of learning within K-12 classrooms and at home, in museums and online. Citing examples of empirical evidence and
Innovation spaces are springing up around the world. This phenomenon is driven by emerging technologies in additive manufacturing, by new thinking about learning, by a desire to grow the Michigan economy through the democratization of innovation and entrepreneurship and the need to provide authentic experiences to engage and retain students in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) disciplines and careers. We are presently engaged in the project planning phase of the Innovation 5 concept. Innovation 5 will be a community-based rapid prototyping/additive manufacturing facility that will be housed within and will be integral to the Impression 5 Science Center in downtown Lansing, MI. This space is envisioned to house resources such as rapid prototyping and additive manufacturing equipment, meeting spaces and networking facilities for collaboration, This space will also serve as a core element of the informal learning experience for visitors to the Impression 5 Science Center. Impression 5 is currently planning a dramatic renovation and expansion which provides a window of opportunity for development of this new concept. Innovation 5 is planned to function at the intersection of three major trends in education and economic development; additive manufacturing and rapid prototyping, authentic STEM experiences for students and community based innovation and entrepreneurial support.. Additive Manufacturing/Rapid Prototyping: Additive manufacturing and rapid prototyping are poised to be the next great digital revolution, where the barrier between digital concept and physical object ceases to exist. "Machines that turn binary digits into physical objects are pioneering a whole new way of making things" one that could rewrite the rules of manufacturing in much the same way that the PC laid waste to traditional computing (The Economist Technology Quarterly Dec 1, 2012) This technological revolution is becoming a central feature of a new set of institutions that make these facilities available to entrepreneurs as shared community resources. Global networks are already forming as non-profits such as FabLabs and MakerSpaces, commercial entities like TechShop and at the Federal government level, such as the recently announced National Additive Manufacturing Innovation Institute. Authentic STEM Experiences for Students: There is increasing recognition that student learning can be dramatically enhanced by enabling students to engage in inquiry-driven work that connects their learning to the real world and that involves collaboration and communication. For example, the National Science Foundation is devoting significant resources to promote the concept of learning through innovation through such programs as the I-Corps. The informal science education community has moved strongly towards becoming a center for STEM learning in conjunction with more traditional learning environments. The National Science Foundation recently changed the name of its Informal Science Education (ISE) division to Advancing Informal STEM Learning (AISL). The Impression 5 Science Center is also actively pursuing the link between informal education and innovation through its new exhibit, the Build Zone where children are encouraged to create and test new structures in a wide variety of physical formats. Community-based Entrepreneurial Support: The Maker/FabLab culture emphasizes the democratization of these new technologies. We feel that this can be a key contribution of Innovation 5 to the City of Lansing community. The population of the City of Lansing is diverse with a high proportion of members of underrepresented groups. In addition, Lansing is undersupported compared to neighboring communities in terms of access to technology and related educational resources. By becoming the local "on ramp to innovation," Innovation 5 can provide low-cost, easy-entry access to these new technologies for community members, whether as microentrepreneurs or just to access these technologies for personal interest. The goal of the Innovation 5 proposal is to meld these threads into a new type of institution. We view the Innovation 5 space as a graded environment for STEM learning through innovation. The facility is envisaged to have a "front end" that serves as an inviting informal education setting where children and families can learn about and participate in the process of innovation and where they can actually see and interact with, in a controlled fashion, the rapid prototyping facility. The "back end" of the facility will have multiple spaces with various levels of controlled access. There will be a collaboration space with visual global networking capability and access to design tools that will be relatively open. Beyond that area would be a space with rapid prototyping tools that require training and supervision for access and operation. One step beyond this might be small spaces for entrepreneurs to pursue more advanced projects. Students will participate integrally in all aspects of Innovation 5's functioning, from interacting with children in an informal setting to serving as team members in developing products from concept to market. Students will also provide the core of the group managing the facility, with substantial input into the direction Innovation 5 will take. Consistent with this vision, 6 student interns are diligently working this summer as a project planning team. They are focusing on various aspects of the facility, from design and equipment needs to marketing and social media. We anticipate completing the project planning phase this summer, to be followed by focused fundraising efforts to install and maintain Innovation 5. Impression 5 Science Center is strongly supportive of this project and has generously offered to provide ample space within their current building envelope for Innovation 5. With this support as well as financial support already received from Lansing area community, education and economic development groups, we are confident that we are well on our way to creating Innovation 5, the first facility of its kind in the United States, and one that has great potential to be replicated nationally.