This presentation was part of the "Broader Impacts at Centers and Large Facilities" dyad at the 2015 CAISE Convening on Broader Impacts + Informal Science Education held in Arlington, VA on April 7-8. The presentation outlines how centers and large facilities have used informal learning experiences for broader impacts, identifying key opportunity areas for Broader Impacts and Informal Education as programming, partnerships, communication, and evaluation.
This presentation was part of the "ISE Learning Research and Evaluation" dyad at the 2015 CAISE Convening on Broader Impacts + Informal Science Education held in Arlington, VA on April 7-8. The presentation describes the difference between research and evaluation, highlights from informal science education (ISE) findings in the learning sciences, research and evaluation highlights, and potential research and evaluation questions.
This presentation was part of the "Science of Science Communication" dyad at the 2015 CAISE Convening on Broader Impacts + Informal Science Education held in Arlington, VA on April 7-8. The presentation describes the value for scientists of public outreach and the importance of knowing one's audience.
This presentation was part of the "Science of Science Communication" dyad at the 2015 CAISE Convening on Broader Impacts + Informal Science Education held in Arlington, VA on April 7-8. The presentation explores what we know from the science of science communication and how scientists can work strategically for effective communication.
This presentation was part of the "Working with ISE Institutions and Networks" dyad at the 2015 CAISE Convening on Broader Impacts + Informal Science Education held in Arlington, VA on April 7-8. The presentation describes the opportunities that the Portal to the Public network offers for collaborations between scientists and informal science education (ISE) institutions.
This presentation was part of the "Working with ISE Institutions and Networks" dyad at the 2015 CAISE Convening on Broader Impacts + Informal Science Education held in Arlington, VA on April 7-8. The presentation provides examples exploring the opportunity for scientists to work with informal science education (ISE) institutions and networks in order to communicate their research.
Florida State University and partner University of Alabama will collect and analyze data on how STEM teachers can most effectively collaborate with librarians. The data will be collected at focus groups held at four national conferences: the American Association of School Librarians, the Public Library Association, the National Science Teachers Association, and the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics. This variety of participants at these conferences will allow for diverse opinions, thoughts, and ideas to be compiled, supporting the analysis of how the collaboration between STEM teacher and librarian is working today and providing recommendations on how it could be improved. The overall goal of this planning grant is to assess what is happening in the field so the information can then be shared with the educational and library communities for greater impact.
Westport Library, with its partners, Southern Connecticut State University (SCSU) and Connecticut State Library - Division of Library Development (CSL-DLD), and with SPARK! Consulting, will introduce a new model of maker space in libraries and a way to systematically integrate the culture of interactive "making" into the library profession. Westport will introduce a culture of innovation, while honoring the needs of more traditional libraries. There will be self-directed, hands-on maker experiences; maker workshops; and makers-in-residence who will support workshops and innovation labs on topics such as robotics, LED quilt creations, and tinkering with home electronics repairs. The library will also create Interactive Innovation Stations (iStations) to introduce people to the concepts and techniques of innovative thinking. It will be an environment where people can experiment, take calculated risks, and work collaboratively.
The Howard County Library System (HCLS), in partnership with the University of Maryland Baltimore County, will use this grant to enhance the teen digital media lab at the Savage Branch Library by adding science, technology, engineering, and math projects and implementing that same STEM-focused model in three other libraries. The "Hi Tech Academy: The Road to a STEM Career" project will address the increasing demand for workers with STEM-related skills as the number of college graduates in these fields decreases. This program will create a model to be replicated at other libraries, bring awareness of how to best teach these skills, increase interest in STEM for youth, and address the demand for these skills in the community.
McCallie et al. (2009) propose that two pedagogical models within informal science education, public understanding of science and public engagement with science, constitute a continuum rather than separate paradigms. This chapter seeks to understand the spread of informal science education projects along this continuum and uncover groupings through the creation of a project catalog. Through cluster analysis, it was found that the submitted projects fell into four categories along the spectrum: expert presentations and Q&A sessions about the natural and designed world; exhibits encouraging
A NOAA scientist-in‐residence program at the Exploratorium was evaluated to determine impacts on front‐line staff (Explainers), visitors, and the scientists involved. A model for hosting scientists at a museum was developed to include a one‐week residency that helped scientists understand the museum followed by a two-week residency during which scientists, working with the Explainers, interacted with visitors in a topic-specific installation space. Data for the evaluation was collected using observations along with interviews and surveys with Exploratorium staff, scientists and visitors
Tornado Alley is a giant screen adventure that follows renegade filmmaker Sean Casey and the scientists of VORTEX2, the largest tornado research project ever assembled, on their epic missions to encounter one of Earth’s most awe-inspiring events: the birth of a tornado. Program components included the giant screen film; a Web site; educators’ guides and resources for classroom and informal learning; and professional development sessions utilizing cyberinfrastructure to facilitate remote interactions between educators and researchers performing actual data manipulations. In addition, an