This CRPA project is about research on climate change impacts in the Amazonian rain forest and about motivating youth to consider science as a career objective. The project is an exhibit in Biosphere 2 in Arizona wherein a rain forest is maintained and will be used to augment the exhibit of large photos of scientists doing research. Particular attention will be paid to female scientists to motivate young girls. Biosphere 2 and the Girl Scout Council of Southern Arizona will collaborate to attract girls through free admission days to Biosphere 2. These large photos will be equipped with sound and video so that as a visitor approaches the photo, the sounds of the forest as well as the researcher(s) will be heard. At this point the researcher, in the photograph, will begin a monologue with the visitor explaining what scientists are investigating and who the other workers are. In this monologue, the researcher will explain what they are doing specifically, why they are investigating this subject, and what they plan to derive as a scientific result. The exhibit will consist of fifty very large photographs (3x5 feet) with sound access via smart phones and headsets. In addition, there will be hands on equipment and docents for questions and discussion. The venue receives about 100,000 visitors per year consisting mainly of families, tourists, and clubs. Through this exhibit, the researchers intend to motivate youth to develop interests in STEM topics. Girls are the main target audience. For families and tourists, the exhibit communicates the message of how science is being used to determine the effect of climate change on rain forests and how that would affect other aspects of weather and the global environment.
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TEAM MEMBERS:
Scott SaleskaBruce JohnsonJoost van HarenJennifer Fields
Currently, many museums present histories of science and technology, but very few are integrating scientific activity--observation, measurement, experimentation-with the time- and place-specific narratives that characterize history-learning experiences. For the Prairie Science project, Conner Prairie is combining proven science center-style activities, developed by the Science Museum of Minnesota, with family-engagement strategies developed through extensive research and testing with audiences in historical settings. The goal of this integration is to create guest experiences that are rich in both STEM and historical content and encourage family learning. One key deliverable of this project is the Create.Connect gallery, which is currently installed at Conner Prairie. Create.Connect allows the project team to evaluate and research hands-on activities, facilitation strategies and historic settings to understand how these elements combine to encourage family conversations and learning around historical narratives and STEM content. For example, in one exhibit area families can experiment with creating their own efficient wind turbine designs while learning about the innovations of the Flint & Walling windmill manufacturing company from Indiana. The activity is facilitated by a historic interpreter portraying a windmill salesman from 1900. The interpreter not only guides the family though the process of scientific inquiry, but shares his historic perspective on wind power as well. Two other exhibit areas invite hands-on exploration of electrical circuits and forces in motion as they connect to stories from Indiana history. Evaluation and research findings from the Create.Connect exhibit will be used to develop a model that can guide other history institutions that want to incorporate STEM content and thinking into their exhibits and interpretation. By partnering with the Science Museum of Minnesota, we will combine the experience of science center professionals and history museum professionals to find the best practices for incorporating science activities into historic settings. To ensure that this dissemination model is informed from many perspectives, Conner Prairie has invited the participation of four history museums: The Museum of America and the Sea, Mystic, Connecticut; the California State Railroad Museum, Sacramento, California; the Wabash County Historical Society, Wabash, Indiana; and the Oliver H. Kelley Farm, Elk River, Minnesota. Each of the four participants will install history-STEM exhibit components which will be connected to location-specific historic narratives. Drawing on the staff experience and talents of participant museums, this project will develop realistic solutions to an array of anticipated barriers. These issues and the resulting approaches will become part of a stronger, more adaptable dissemination model that will support history museums in creating STEM-based guest experiences.
The Oregon Museum of Science and Industry is implementing a Pathways project that will test and refine a model to promote an appreciation that science is everywhere and personally relevant by engaging transit riders in Portland, OR with location-relevant STEM content through unfacilitated, interactive science exhibits in everyday places. The study will employ a "design-based research" approach that both iteratively tests exhibit effectiveness and develops and refines an underlyting theoretical model that can contribute knowledge to the field. The "Science on the Move" model will be developed and tested using an exhibit prototype that includes 1) an easily transportable prototype core with a familiar touch-screen interface, 2) multiple sets of interactive digital content, and 3) a variety of accompanying outer skins designed to attract the public. The exhibit prototype will be placed at bus transit nodes to reach adults, specifically targeting those without college degrees who are underrepresented in science centers. A range of possible STEM content domains will be selected and tested based on topics of interest to the public. If successful, given the several challenges involved, the feasibility study will be applied more fully around Portland and be a model for other cities to consider.
Experts in informal science education, citizen science, bats, and computer science are developing and evaluating, at Mammoth Cave National Park, a hybrid onsite/online proof-of-concept program for citizen scientists to observe and record (tag) roosting behaviors of Rafinesque's big-eared bats via streaming video. Participants are helping bat researchers document bat behaviors that provide insights into the benefits of communal roosting and interactions that serve to create or maintain social bonds and spread disease. The project is also developing a proof-of-concept mobile kiosk that links the citizen science bat study program to other exhibits at Mammoth Cave. Project personnel are conducting evaluation studies to identify best practices for engaging underserved populations and professional scientists in the study of bat behavior, and developing plans for scaling up the program to include video and educational resources from other bat sites around the country. Lessons learned from the project will inform development of a new, nationwide, online citizen science program focused on bat behavior.
In this Communicating Research to Public Audiences (CRPA) project, the University of Washington and the Pacific Science Center (PSC) are highlighting the results of Dr. Kelley's active research discoveries about deep-sea life located on active hydrothermal vents of the ocean floors (OCE-0426109). The STEM content of this project includes oceanography, marine biology, and ecology. The project team will develop a multimedia, interactive kiosk exhibit that builds on the existing Portal to the Public project at PSC. Kelley\'s graduate students are actively involved in the exhibit and outreach components. The target audience for "Life in Extreme Environments" is the approximately 800,000 U.S. and international visitors to PSC, including a significant number of urban, underserved minorities. This CRPA project will become a component of the existing Portal to the Public exhibit. This exhibit kiosk will subsequently be made available to other scientists to promote research and related topics in their respective disciplines. The exhibit will be fabricated and evaluated by PSC staff.
In this Communicating Research to Public Audiences (CRPA) project, the University of Washington and the Pacific Science Center (PSC, Seattle) are highlighting the results of PI Kelley's active research discoveries about deep-sea life located on active hydrothermal vents of the ocean floors (NSF award OCE 0426109). The STEM content of this project includes oceanography, marine biology, and ecology. The project team will develop a multimedia, interactive kiosk exhibit that builds on the existing Portal to the Public project at the PSC. Kelley's graduate students are actively involved in the exhibit and outreach components of this CRPA. The target audience for 'Life in Extreme Environments' is the ~800,000 U.S. and international visitors to the PSC, which also includes a significant number of urban, underserved minorities. This CRPA project is a component of the existing Portal to the Public exhibit. After \'Life in Extreme Environments\' ends at the PSC, this exhibit kiosk will be made available to other scientists to promote research and related topics in their respective disciplines. The exhibit is being fabricated and evaluated by the staff at the Pacific Science Center.
This CRPA award demonstrates to the public the unique use of nanoscience in Nature. The Blue Morpho butterfly is large, has blue wings and is eye catching to say the least. Its wings have been shown to exhibit interesting color characteristics under varying conditions. These characteristics and uniqueness are due to nano-molecules that are a chemical construction in the wing structure. Thus, this butterfly is the hook and segues into a discussion of nanoscience and crystal structures in Nature. Furthermore, the exhibit which is referred to as a flex-hibit is small and portable facilitating its use in out-of-museum demonstrations at public events and in rural areas. This is a colorful demonstration that is quick, interesting and reversible so audiences can be entertained for a short 5-10 minutes during which the "scientist" or staff member can briefly discuss nanoscience and how the butterfly uses this disguise. Other scientists may find this flex-hibit idea useful in their desire to demonstrate science concepts, as well. The integration of this work into the NISE network may pay large dividends in helping others with demonstrations. This is a collaboration between Georgia Tech and the Lawrence Hall of Science at Berkeley. This is a colorful demonstration that is quick, interesting and reversible so audiences can be entertained for a short 5-10 minutes during which the "scientist" or staff member can briefly discuss nanoscience and how the butterfly uses this disguise. Other scientists may find this flex-hibit idea useful in their desire to demonstrate science concepts, as well. The integration of this work into the NISE network may pay large dividends in helping others with demonstrations.
This award addresses the archaeological issues surrounding the ancestral Pueblo people and their Neolithic revolution or disappearance from the Mesa Verde region of southwestern US. The research describes the people, their living conditions and the environment, their impact on the region and the reason for their exodus to form new societies such as the Tewa-Pueblo society. The research and its results are significant, from both an archaeological and socio-cultural standpoint. An exhibit is planned, to explain and inform the public, in the History Colorado Center in Denver, Colorado, that will transfer this cultural knowledge to the under-served public including Native American and numerous rural residents. The effort is a collaborative endeavor involving the Crow Canyon Archaeological Center in Cortez, Colorado and the new History Colorado Center. The exhibit will feature a typical living area, a scientific area with discussion of tree rings, and an area for discussion with scientific experts. In addition, the deliverable will include a website for further discussion with scientist and for accessing the latest research efforts. The evaluation of this project is extensive starting from an overall evaluation of the museum itself and how to make this exhibit a significant part of the museum, pleasing to the audiences and how to improve its impact once the exhibit is open.
The University of California, Davis Tahoe Environmental Research Center (TERC), UC Davis W.M. Keck Center for Active Visualization in the Earth Sciences (KeckCAVES), ECHO Lake Aquarium and Science Center (ECHO), UC Berkeley Lawrence Hall of Science (LHS), and the Institute for Learning Innovation (ILI) will study how 3-D visualizations can most effectively be used to improve general public understanding of freshwater lake ecosystems and Earth science processes through the use of immersive three-dimensional (3-D) visualizations of lake and watershed processes, supplemented by tabletop science activity stations. Two iconic lakes will be the focus of this study: Lake Tahoe in California and Nevada, and Lake Champlain in Vermont and New York, with products readily transferable to other freshwater systems and education venues. The PI will aggregate and share knowledge about how to effectively utilize 3-D technologies and scientific data to support learning from immersive 3-D visualizations, and how other hands-on materials can be combined to most effectively support visitor learning about physical, biological and geochemical processes and systems. The project will be structured to iteratively test, design, and implement 3-D visualizations in both concurrent and staggered development. The public will be engaged in the science behind water quality and ecosystem health; lake formation; lake foodwebs; weather and climate; and the role and impact of people on the ecosystem. A suite of publicly available learning resources will be designed and developed on freshwater ecosystems, including immersive 3-D visualizations; portable science stations with multimedia; a facilitator's guide for docent training; and a Developer's Manual to allow future informal science education venues. Project partners are organized into five teams: 1) Content Preparation and Review: prepare and author content including writing of storyboards, narratives, and activities; 2) 3-D Scientific Visualizations: create visualization products using spatial data; 3) Science Station: plan, design, and produce hands-on materials; 4) Website and Multimedia: produce a dissemination strategy for professional and public audiences; 4) Evaluation: conduct front-end, formative, and summative evaluation of both the 3-D visualizations and science activity stations. The summative evaluation will utilize a mixed methods approach, using both qualitative and quantitative methods, and will include focus groups, semi-structured interviews, web surveys, and in-depth interviews. Leveraging 3-D tools, high-quality visual displays, hands-on activities, and multimedia resources, university-based scientists will work collaboratively with informal science education professionals to extend the project's reach and impact to an audience of 400,000 visitors, including families, youth, school field trip groups, and tourists. The project will implement, evaluate, and disseminate knowledge of how 3-D visualizations and technologies can be designed and configured to effectively support visitor engagement and learning about physical, biological and geochemical processes and systems, and will evaluate how these technologies can be transferred more broadly to other informal science venues and schools for future career and workforce development in these critical STEM areas.
Researchers at the American Association of Variable Star Observers, the Living Laboratory at the Boston Museum of Science, and the Adler Planetarium are studying stereoscopic (three-dimensional or 3D) visualizations so that this emerging viewing technology has an empirical basis upon which educators can build more effective informal learning experiences that promote learning and interest in science by the public. The project's research questions are: How do viewers perceive 3D visualizations compared to 2D visualizations? What do viewers learn about highly spatial scientific concepts embedded in 3D compared to 2D visualizations? How are viewers\' perceptions and learning associated with individual characteristics such as age, gender, and spatial cognition ability? Project personnel are conducting randomized, experimental mixed-methods research studies on 400 children and 1,000 adults in museum settings to compare their cognitive processing and learning after viewing two-dimensional and three-dimensional static and dynamic images of astronomical objects such as colliding galaxies. An independent evaluator is (1) collecting data on museum workers' and visitors' perceived value of 3D viewing technology within museums and planetariums and (2) establishing a preliminary collection of best practices for using 3D viewing technology based on input from museum staff and visitors, and technology creators. Spatial thinking is important for learning many domains of science. The findings produced by the Two Eyes, 3D project will researchers' understanding about the advantages and disadvantages of using stereoscopic technology to promote learning of highly spatial science concepts. The findings will help educators teach science in stereoscopic ways that mitigate problems associated with using traditional 2D materials for teaching spatial concepts and processes in a variety of educational settings and science content areas, including astronomy.
The Space Science Institute, in collaboration with the Catawba Science Center (North Carolina), the New Mexico Museum of Natural History and Science, the American Library Association, and the Astronomical Society of the Pacific propose to develop a multi-pronged project on the topic of asteroids. Content areas will include: Asteroids ? Up-close and Personal; Deep Impact; and Planetary Protection. Deliverables will include a 2,500 square-foot traveling exhibit for small to mid-sized museums; four, 300 square-foot "small exhibit components" (SECs) for libraries, community centers, etc.; Web 2.0 sites for the project developers and for the public; public education programs; professional development programs for informal STEM professionals; and a study of how Web 2.0 can be used to improve the evaluation of Web sites. The project team will be experimenting with virtual prototyping of exhibit modules as a way to improve exhibit development, especially with team members who are around the country. Teens from around the country will be enlisted to help inform the project on its deliverables. The Association of Science-Technology Centers will manage the exhibit tour. The Institute for Learning Innovation will conduct the evaluation activities, including the study of Web 2.0 and virtual prototyping tasks.
This proposed Communicating Research to Public Audiences (CRPA) project outlines a pathway for communicating how climate change can affect a watershed area that supplies water for a specific region. The educational platforms will address the geology of the Caldera along with meteorology, ecology and hydrology. The project will focus on the ongoing scientific research processes and the impact of climate change to the physical system as well as to the citizens who depend on this resource. Partners in this endeavor include New Mexico EPSCOR, the University of New Mexico, the Valles Caldera National Preserve, the New Mexico Museum of Natural History and Science, Santa Fe Productions and Tim Aydelott Productions. The project team will create a PBS television documentary in English and Spanish, including a Native American Jemez Pueblo storyteller who will describe the natural environment of the Caldera. The team will also create a YouTube channel with updatable clips, a Facebook fan page, and a climate change exhibit. The evaluation will include front-end and summative components, and will be conducted by Minnick & Associates and Elsa Bailey Consulting. The intended impact of this CRPA is to educate the public about the importance of the Caldera in securing the region's water supply and how climate changes could impact their lives. Further, aspects of the multidisciplinary science used in this research will be described with the goal of encouraging more young people from the region to choose STEM careers.