Oregon State University will expand its successful Master Science Educators program and create a national model for the delivery of natural science education to elementary and middle school youth. Master Science Educators are volunteers who undergo a rigorous 30-hour training and commit to 50 hours of service to a community site, such as a community center, housing project or school. Volunteers work in teams of two so that each site receives 100 hours of service devoted to the research and development of a natural science project. Volunteers and on-site and off-site scientists who act as virtual volunteers, guide youth ages K-8, in the design, development and evaluation of their project. Wildlife habitat projects provide a means for participants to learn inquiry and are tailored to address local science standards. A trainer's guide, a volunteer handbook, a guide for community sites and promotional and training videos will be produced, as well as a web-based science course. It is anticipated that 240 volunteers will be trained to work with over 12,000 youth during the course of the project. Dissemination will occur through the 4-H Extension service, impacting both urban and rural populations.
The Independence Seaport Museum will create "Boat Building: Art and Science," a 3,000-square foot permanent exhibit that is designed to educate visitors about the science of boat building and design. Concepts such as buoyancy, water displacement, turbulence and drag will be explored through interactives, maritime artifacts, models and oral histories of tradesmen. By using the principles identified by the Family Science Learning Research Project of the Philadelphia/Camden Informal Science Education Collaborative (PISEC), the exhibit will be user-friendly for families with young children. Visitor workstation topics may include boat building, floating, buoyancy, sails, wind and boat shape. Visitors will use science processes while learning through open-ended play and exploration. Creative programs for families and school groups, as well as curriculum materials will support the exhibit. A website and technical training manual will also be produced. Four phases of evaluation are planned, and include front-end analysis which will incorporate focus groups with children ages 7-12, and formative evaluation using prototypes of interactives. Remedial evaluation will be carried out once the exhibit opens, and summative evaluation will use tracking and exit interviews to assess learning and understanding. The estimated annual audience of over 130,000 visitors will be expanded by replicating and traveling various components to other maritime museums in partnership with the Association of Science and Technology Centers. Evaluation of traveling components will also be undertaken to determine if they present an appropriate model for maritime-based exhibits.
Waves in Space, an educational museum exhibit for upper elementary and middle school students, clarifies the concept of radio wave propagation and how it is affected by variations in the Earth's atmosphere. The exhibit is based on research in upper atmospheric physics conducted by the Atmospheric Sciences Group at the MIT Haystack Observatory. This research is at the forefront of the emerging national space weather effort, a large NSF initiative to forecast and predict dynamic conditions in Earth's upper atmosphere and the effects these conditions have on key technologies such as cellular phones, pagers and satellites.
Voyage of Discovery is a comprehensive and innovative project designed to provide K-12 youth in Baltimore City with an introduction to mathematics, engineering, technology, environmental science, and computer and information science, as it relates to the maritime and aerospace industries. The Sankofa Institute, in partnership with the Living Classrooms Foundation and a host of marine, informal science, community, and educational organizations, collaborate to make science relevant for inner-city youth by infusing science across the curriculum and by addressing aspects of history and culture. Youth are introduced to historical, current, and future innovations in shipbuilding as a means to learn the science, mathematics, and history associated with navigation, transportation, environmental science, and shipping. Activities will take place at the Frederick Douglass-Isaac Myers Maritime Park and Museum where students participate in intensive afterschool, Saturday, and summer sessions. Families are invited for pre-session orientation meetings and again at the end of each session to observe student progress. This project will provide over 3,900 K-12 youth with the opportunity to learn mathematics (algebra, geometry, and trigonometry), physics (gravity, density, mechanics), design, and estuarine biology while participating in hands-on sessions. Project deliverables include a 26-foot wooden boat, a working model of a dirigible, a submarine model, and pilot control panel models, all constructed by students and subsequently incorporated into exhibits at the USS Constellation Museum. The project also results in the production of two curricula--one each on celestial navigation and propulsion. Voyage of Discovery informs the literature on inquiry-based informal science education programs and strategies to engage minority and low-income youth in learning science and technology.
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.
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TEAM MEMBERS:
Michael SpockPhyllis Rabineau
resourceprojectProfessional Development, Conferences, and Networks
Project A.S.T.R.O. is a program to bring both amateur and professional astronomers into the schools to assist fourth through ninth grade teachers in the classroom, with day and evening observing activities, with individual student projects, and with inspiration to provide a greater appreciation of science and lead students to science and engineering careers. Amateurs are a largely untapped resource for science education and this project will explore the impact their enthusiasm and experience can have in providing significant assistance to teachers and students in grades where crucial science attitudes are formed. The California-based pilot program will -- after the development of appropriate protocols and materials -- use 40 astronomers and 40 teachers to test the effectiveness of astronomers (especially amateur astronomers) as school resource agents. The project has four related components: 1) the assessment of existing programs of this type and of materials to help both the visiting scientists and the teachers; 2) workshops to train the astronomers, prepare the teachers, and continue developing activities and resources; 3) school visits and other activities by astronomers for a full school year; and 4) the production of a loose-leaf Teachers' Resource Notebook and a How-to-Manual for bringing astronomy to the schools. Formative and summative evaluation by those involved and a professional evaluator will be a key component of each phase. A set of guidelines for the national dissemination of the project will also be developed.
The goal of the three-year Science Education Enrichment Program is to provide 720 Puerto Ricans, six to fourteen years of age, with exploratory learning opportunities to observe, judge, and value scientific experiences. The program will be administered by the Agricultural Extension Service of the University of Puerto Rico. The 4-H curriculum will be strengthened by incorporating interactive learning in six science components: Composting as a Means to Conserve the Environment: The Role of Soil and Water in Protecting Life; Food Discoveries: Starchy (Farinaceous) Vegetables: From Field to Market; Getting to Know about Insects; and Hurricanes and Earthquakes: Events Requiring Disaster Mitigation. Extension Specialists in the subject matter and a research scientist from the Experiment Station will supervise groups of 10-20 children at 63 sites in sessions lasting from six months to a year. Trained volunteers and teen leaders will also participate. A distinguished group of external advisors will serve on an Advisory Committee to provide recommendations on scientific accuracy and future development. Three implementation phases ate planned. In Phase I a draft of a unique Puerto Rican science curriculum model for the Extension Service will be prepared. The skills and knowledge of component directors will be enhanced through collaboration with local and mainland groups to leverage resources for special training on exploratory approaches to learning science. In Phase II the curriculum will be tested and refined. Resources will be mobilized for exploratory science activities. A pilot session will be held for 80 youth. During Phase III all components will be operational. Approximately 640 youth will participate in 58 science session. A dissemination plan will allow for the curriculum materials to be distributed to groups in Puerto Rico and the mainland. The current level of effort will be continued and plans will be made for expansion to other sites. Institutional commitments to the development of this project include an in-kind contribution amounting to approximately 22 percent of the total project amount. In addition to creating an interest in science, the outcomes of the program will seek to build self confidence in science exploration, promote critical thinking, and develop knowledge in youth about career options in the agricultural sciences.
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TEAM MEMBERS:
Oscar Muniz-TorresYamil QuijanoAgenol GonzalezPedro VelezOsvaldo Cotte
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 Museums of the Rockies will develop a 2450 sq. ft. exhibit titled Landforms/Lifeforms and complementary educational materials including teacher enhancement activities, outreach trunks, and other programming. The exhibit will serve as the pivotal experience for visitors as they engage the museum's theme One Place Through All Of Time and it serve to introduce all other permanent exhibit galleries. Using the important and spectacular geological and paleontological resources of the region and the museum's collections, the exhibit will bring to life the concept of the evolution and diversification of life in response to changing geological conditions from the Precambrian to the end of the Mesozoic. Visitors will experience the Northern Rocky Mountain Region and the life supported by that region over time. Critical thinking skills of visitors will be stimulated with the purpose of enhancing their overall science literacy. The exhibit is designed to promote adult-child interaction. Special attention is being given to attracting a rural audience. Complementary programming aimed at K-12 students and teachers will be developed. The content of these activities will address the goals set forth in Montana's systemic initiative and the Systemic Teacher Excellence Preparation program. The educational materials will also be shared with member museums in the Mid-Continent University Natural History Museum Consortium.
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TEAM MEMBERS:
Arthur WolfShelly WhitmanBeth MerrickBonnie Sachatello-SawyerSharon Horrigan
How do we know the distance to a star? How do we know what a star is made of? How do we know how fast an object is moving? These questions are addressed in this 1,488 square foot permanent exhibit which emphasizes astronomical spectroscopy - the detailed analysis of light from astronomical objects. This interactive, bilingual (English/Spanish) exhibit will demonstrate different applications of spectroscopy that provide insight into the universe, and will provide opportunities for students, teachers, parents, and the general public to learn about the universe. Bilingual ancillary materials will be produced: pre- and post-visit materials for school visitors; a "Life at an Observatory" ten-minute orientation/information video to be shown at the visitor center. Target audiences are students in grades K-12, and general visitors.
The project is based upon the established Math, Science, and Beyond (MSB) program which consists of a series of evening family science workshops (with curriculum materials developed for classroom settings) in which students and parents explore science and mathematics together through exciting, hands-on activities. Units for each grade level (K-6) focus on physical, earth, and life science. The MSB informal science project will adapt materials and bring the program to informal learning settings - 25 Boys and Girls Clubs of California, and 25 California Department of Parks and Recreation sites. These clubs will receive training, materials, and support to operate Science Clubs (after school MSB sessions), Science Camps (summer, off-track and Spring/Winter Break, week-long MSB sessions), and Science Explorers Family Workshops (1-2 hour sessions for elementary school students and their parents). In addition to the Boys and Girls Clubs, and the California Department of Parks and Recreation, the California Science Implementation Network is a key collaborator on the project.
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TEAM MEMBERS:
Mary CavanaghEleanore TopolovacM. SusanJoseph Keating
This is a planning grant to Children's Television Workshop (CTW) to develop further the science content in a proposed television series for 8-12 year olds entitled, The Wheel In Space. This adventure series would be set on an orbiting space station 100 years in the future which, by definition is an enormous scientific and technological enterprise. The planning period would be used to investigate how its complex systems and operations can best be used to illustrate principles and processes science. Specific planning tasks include: Working with consultants in space science and other scientific disciplines as well as with organizations such as NASA and the National Air and Space Museum to explore the science and technology involved in the operation of a space station and to project what living, working, and growing up on a space station might be like a century from now; Writing a content "bible" that will serve as a technical guide to writers of the series; Writing a treatment of the series that outlines story premises that incorporate science topics; Investigating potential components of the project that may enhance the reach and impact of the television series; Examining the advantages and disadvantages of a co-production arrangement with Southern Star, a television production company in Australia interested in participating in the project. The PI's for the project will be Joel Schneider who will serve as Content Director and Jeffrey Nelson who will be Executive Producer. Both have worked on previous science and mathematics media projects at CTW. A principal consultant will be Samuel Gibbon, producer and/or executive producer for Sesame Street, The Electric Company, 3-2-1 Contact, and The Voyage of the Mimi.