This is a poster that was presented at the 2014 AISL PI meeting in Washington, DC. It describes a project that takes advantage of the charismatic nature of arachnids to engage the public in scientific inquiry, dialogue, and exploration.
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University of Nebraska LincolnEileen Hebets
ResearchLink: Spotlight on Solar Technologies was a Collaborative Research Connecting Researchers and Public Audiences (CRPA) Project led by the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry and Portland State University, funded by the NSF AISL program from 2012-2014. This poster was presented at the 2014 AISL PI Meeting in Washington, DC.
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Portland State University and Oregon Museum of Science and IndustryLauren (Russell) MorenoCarl Wamser
This CRPA award will address the science behind solar energy, its capture, measurements, and uses. It is a collaborative effort between scientists at Portland State University (PSU) and the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry (OMSI). Materials for the OMSI staff will be prepared by the scientists and the OMSI staff will work with the scientists on making presentations to the public. OMSI will translate information from the exhibits, displays, and presentations into Spanish to engage the Hispanic population. Scientific café?s will be part of this engagement. The PI and OMSI museum have had a working relationship for some time adding to the potential success of the project. The PI and his colleagues at PSU have a major effort going in research on photonic science suggesting that this engagement can continue to be updated as the time goes on. The project will be evaluated by the well established evaluation group at OMSI. Further, Spanish speaking public will be embraced with this material as will rural residents from traveling exhibits and displays.
Research suggests that conversations at museums contribute to, as well as serve as evidence for, learning. Many museums use labels to provide visitors with information as well as stimulate conversation about exhibit topics. However, most studies on exhibit labels do not centre on conversations. This investigation uses a Vygotskian framework to examine the ways questions in exhibit labels can stimulate conversations in a science museum. We examined the questions and explanations that appeared in conversation occurring under three label conditions (Current Label, Added question “Why is this here
This paper discusses three case studies – an exhibition on biodiversity, a hotel water conservation program, and a partnership between a nature center and urban public schools – to establish parameters for designing learning experiences that accommodate the varied worldviews and attitudes of learners. Positive outcomes occurred in all three cases, but could best be interpreted if sub-samples of participants were distinguished based on their readiness to embrace conservation messages. The studies demonstrated the limitations of narrowly defined learning outcomes as benchmarks for success or
This poster was presented at the 2014 AISL PI Meeting in Washington, DC. It describes a project designed to increase informal learning opportunities for blind youth in STEM.
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TEAM MEMBERS:
National Federation of the BlindMark Riccobono
This poster from 2014 AISL PI Meeting describes a project that studies how 3-D visualizations can most effectively be used to improve public understanding of freshwater lake ecosystems and earth science processes.
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TEAM MEMBERS:
University of California, DavisGeoff Schladow
This poster was presented at the 2014 AISL PI Meeting held in Washington, DC. It describes a project created to design, develop, implement, research, and evaluate a cyberlaboratory in a museum setting.
Research chemists from the Center for Enabling New Technologies Through Catalysis (CENTC) worked collaboratively with the Liberty Science Center (LSC) to develop a hands-on activity to educate visitors about how small molecules derived from petroleum feedstocks are used to make larger molecules that are then utilized in the production of everyday consumer goods. Researchers, faculty, and students provided the chemistry content and LSC worked with Blue Telescope Studios to create a user-friendly program for the Ideum Multitouch Table. The resulting “Molecule Magic,” an engaging and intuitive
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TEAM MEMBERS:
Center for Enabling New Technology Through Catalysis (CENTC)Abby O'Connor
This poster was presented at the 2014 AISL PI Meeting in Washington, DC. It describes an EAGER project that conducts ongoing experiments on the chemical precursors to life as exhibit experiences in partner venues.