The Royal Society of Chemistry commissioned TNS BMRB to conduct this research to provide well-grounded, robust data on the public’s relationship with chemistry in the UK. This programme of research aimed to understand where people are now, explore what drives people's views, identify windows of opportunity, and use evidence to produce guidance on opportunities and challenges in communicating chemistry to the public.
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 pilot study was funded by the Museum of Science’s Women in Science Committee to examine the impact of competition on children participating in Design Challenges engineering experiences, and in particular, to see what effect, if any, the competitive design of these engineering activities had on girl participants. The research questions for this study included: 1. How does competition affect participants' engagement in engineering activities? 1.a Does this differ for boys and girls? 2. How does competition affect participants' desire to take part in future engineering activities? 2.a. Does
In this article the authors discuss the importance of the use of natural instincts in teaching and studying science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) courses in U.S. middle and high schools. They present information on the Maker Movement, a campaign associated with the Maker Faire festivals and "Make" magazine, which encourages the use of creativity in STEM fields. Other topics include the importance of natural curiosity, building, and inventions in science education.
The article discusses the Maker Faires, a hybrid of science fairs, craft shows, and county fairs where people come to display what they have created and talk about what they learned. The faires are designed for people who work in places such as shops, garages, kitchen tables, schools, or science clubs, while they invent and innovate with new technologies, science, engineering, art performance and various crafts. The events' impact on economic development and education is mentioned.
The article focuses on the uTEC Maker Model, a maker education model that aims to help adults recognize behaviors they may only usually see in spurs. Topics discussed include using the item as intended by the inventor whose creative approach we trust, repurposing an item to use it in a different way than the inventor intended, and experimenting with an idea, invention, musical sound or video technique.
The article presents a brief overview of the Maker Movement and its connections to public libraries, focusing on the experiences of the Louisville Free Public Library of Louisville, Kentucky. Introductory details are given describing the movement, linking it to the expansion of community work spaces equipped with advanced machinery such as robotics tools and 3D printers. Several examples of maker-based organizations, subcultures, and resources are then given.
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TEAM MEMBERS:
Nicole DixonMichael WardEric Phetteplace
During the first EU-funded project EUSCE/X (European Science Communication Events / Extended), a "White Book" was developed in 2005, containing the experiences of exploring 21 European science engagement events like science festivals. The White Book has 13 chapters ranging from "purpose and philosophy" across "management", "education", "funding" to "European dimension".
The World Biotech Tour (WBT) is a multi-year initiative that will bring biotechnology to life at select science centers and museums worldwide. The program, supported by the Association of Science-Technology Centers (ASTC) and Biogen Foundation, is scheduled to run from 2015-2017, with the 2015 cohort in Belgium, Japan, and Portugal. The WBT will increase the impact and visibility of biotechnology among youth and the general public through hands-on and discussion-led learning opportunities. Applications are now open for the 2016 cohort! Learn more and submit an application at http://www.worldbiotechtour.org/become-a-stop
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TEAM MEMBERS:
Association of Science-Technology CentersCarlin Hsueh
In 2010 the Royal Society journal Biology Letters published an article, ‘Blackawton bees’, which caused something of a sensation: the findings, on bees’ foraging patterns, were original, but the true originality lay in the fact the experiments were in part devised, and the paper written, by a group of 8- to 10-year-old children at Blackawton Primary School in Devon (Blackawton et al., 2011).[1] The article attracted considerable media attention, troubling, as it did, the boundaries of professional science, and distinctions between scientific practice and education, not to mention the
The Art and Science of Acoustic Recording was a collaborative project between the Royal College of Music and the Science Museum that saw an historic orchestral recording from 1913 re-enacted by musicians, researchers and sound engineers at the Royal College of Music (RCM) in 2014. The original recording was an early attempt to capture the sound of a large orchestra without re-scoring or substituting instruments and represents a step towards phonographic realism. Using replicated recording technology, media and techniques of the period, the re-enactment recorded two movements of Beethoven’s
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TEAM MEMBERS:
Aleks KolkowskiDuncan MillerAmy Blier-Carruthers
Science centres and museums in Europe traditionally offer opportunities for public participation, such as dialogues, debates and workshops. In recent years, starting with the support of grants from the European Commission, the purpose of these initiatives is increasingly more connected with the policy making processes where science centres play a role as brokers between the public and other stakeholders. This article begins an investigation on how these two levels of participation – the participation of museums in policy, and the participation of visitors in museums – are related in seven