THE DR. FAD SHOW is a daily television series for children ages 6 to 12 that encourages creativity, inventiveness and problem solving in a lively half-hour format. Each program is taped before a studio audience and high-lights the inventions of young participants as well as the fads and inventions of the past, present and future. Created and hosted by Ken Hakuta, or Dr. Fad as he is known to millions of young viewers, the series will combine thirty-five brand new shows with thirty previously produced episodes for a total of sixty-five programs. The series will be produced and packaged next spring and summer at WETA-TV in Washington, D.C. and will be ready for national broadcast on the Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) as early as fall of 1991. THE DR. FAD SHOW will be accompanied by a significant outreach and promotion effort, as well as an educational component that will include an activity and teacher's guide. The programs have already won the endorsement of the National Education Association and the National Inventive Teaching Association (NITA) among others, as well as the enthusiastic support of parents, teachers and a legion of dedicated young viewers and participants.
This research is to examine free-choice leisure behavior of African Americans as it relates to the utilization of science museums. Hard statistics for African American museum visitors are not available; but preliminary data based on visitor profile studies undertaken by individual organizations suggest that of the three categories of visitor frequency, most African American visitors fall into the lower two: infrequent (one or two times per year) or not at all. (The vast majority of frequent visitors are non African Americans.) The purpose of this research is to dig deeper into the question of the utilization of science museums by African Americans. Not only will the relationships between variables identified in previous studies (socio-economic, cultural/ethnic, institutional, and regional factors) be examined but others such as how individuals learn about museum programs and the structure of the African American family (household) will also be included. The research will begin by collecting base line visitor profiles at a zoo, aquarium, natural history museum, and a science center. Detailed information relating to the past history of museum-going will be collected by means of interviews of randomly selected African American and White family visitors at several science museums. Finally, indepth interviews regarding leisure time activities and preferences will be conducted in six African American and racially mixed communities representing different socio-economic levels. The ultimate goal is to analyse the attitudes of African Americans toward museums and to provide an understanding of the variables involved that will be of use to museum program planners and educators as they design their activities. The desired result is for this segment of our society to have a better opportunity to benefit from the rich resources of these informal science education institutions.
Children's Television Workshop is embaring on a ground- breaking experiment in informal science education: the production of an entertaining animated series of 13 half- hour programs for Saturday morning commercial television, based on David Macaulay's bestselling book, The Way Things Work. The audience will be six- to eleven-year olds, with special focus on minority and economically disadvantaged children. The series' primary goal will be to entertain children with lively and appealing characters in a dramatic storyline, while stimulating children's interest in the scientific principles behind the workings of familiar machines and illustrating the action of their parts. NSF support will enable CTW to adapt the CTW Model -- the collaborative process used in earlier NSF-supported programs, 3-2-1 Contact and Square One Tv -- to the opportunities of the animation format and the realities of the partnership with a commercial network. Through a development agreement with CBS, CTW has begun the process of developing the series concept, characters, and storylines. Upon successful completion of this phase, production will follow with an anticipated broadcast premiere in fall 1992. NSF's $2.36 million support will allow this project to be possible by completing the series' funding; it will allow CTW to conduct significant formative research and summative analyses of educational impact, and to reach large minority and economically disadvantaged audiences through wider promotion and the creation and distribution of complementary print materials.
The Museum of Science and Industry seeks to facilitate the establishment of a network of Independent science clubs. Located in Chicago's south side, the Museum operates an in-house science club which has over many years developed a large investory of activities. The members themselves, drawn from a broad socio-economic base, have contributed much of the content and character of this hands-on program. Now, in response to chicago's pressing local need for strong equity programming in science and technology education, the Museum proposes to "package" this club such that local chapters can readily be sent up throughout the city land region, especially in community centers, churches and Park District recreation centers. The club "package" will include: Modules of learning activities for various ages with supporting materials and equipment; Museum-coordinated trips to research and industrial sites; gatherings at the Museum; training of club facilitators; and adaptable organization format with an accounting system; recruitment of volunteers as helpers and role models; substantial help with fund-raising. NSF support is sought for the establishment of the modules and system, and the Museum commits itself to on-going maintenance and coordination of the network. The Science Club Network will draw extensively on existing programs, community networks and support systems. The Museum has already elicited many commitments of financial and other support for local chapters.
DATE:
-
TEAM MEMBERS:
Roger MitchellMark WagnerSheridan Turner
Girls Inc. will develop a national model summer program for girls aged 12 to 16 to encourage their interest in science, their enrollment in science courses in high school, and their interest in science careers. The recruitment of girls from low-income and minority families as participants will be a high priority. The program will represent a synthesis of Operation Smart, an afterschool science and mathematics program, and Eureka Teen Achievement Program, which introduces science and mathematics in summer programs through sports. The program will be developed and field- tested in five diverse Girls inc. sites around the country and to other interested groups. Substantial formative and impact evaluation is planned.
DATE:
-
TEAM MEMBERS:
Libby PalmerHeather Johnston Nicholsonellen wahl
Founded in 1979, the Science Skills Center (SSC) is a non-profit community based program which encourages young minority and female students to pursue careers in science, mathematics, and technology. At its current two sites, located in Brooklyn, New York, approximately 400 students, ages six to eighteen, are enrolled in programs where they take accelerated courses in biology, chemistry, physical science, rocketry, oceanography, botany, and advanced mathematics. Classes, which are presented within the cultural and linguistic understanding of minority children, provide students with an opportunity to recognize the relationship of science, mathematics, and technology to their everyday lives. The SSC proposes to replicate its present programs, establishing three additional sites in the New York City area in three years. The SSC also proposes to establish a systematic replication program which would assist other communities, both regional and national, to establish their own SSCs. This project would require a resource person to guide communities in all aspects of program development. To assist in that effort, SSC proposes development of comprehensive educational and administrative manuals as well as the preparation of accompanying training and profile videos. Finally, the SSC proposes to develop a research module in software and manual form which would assess and track student learning, school performance, performance on standardized exams, career aspiration and selection, and student attitudes in a community based science program targeting minority students.
Playtime Is Science: A National Model for Parent Involvement In Early Science Education is an innovative parent/child science activity program. The overall goal of the model is to enlarge the potential pool of students who are competent in science and technology to include more girls, children of color, with disabilities, and children from low-income families. By engaging parents in partnership with schools and community organizations, Playtime Is Science will increase the science literacy of young children (ages 4-7) as well as that of their parents and other adults in their lives. This three-year project, built on a successful local model developed in New York City public schools, will include the following activities: training and networking for site liaisons; pilot testing and evaluation at three sites chosen for geographic, racial, ethnic, language, and socioeconomic diversity; materials development and production; a formal research study; and intensive national dissemination of Playtime Is Science materials package. Materials to be developed include 1) four videotapes to provide a visual rendering of the program for parents, teachers, and administrators; 2) a how-to manual providing easy-to-follow instructions for implementing the program; 3) and a home activity booklet for parents illustrating science activities which utilize inexpensive, readily-available materials found in every home.
National Public Radio is seeking to expand its coverage of scientific issues in two ways: through the creation of a new Environmental Reporting Unit, and through the introduction of SCIENCE FRIDAY, a two hour call-in talk show dedicated to scientific issues. Each of these projects will be supported by an extensive outreach effort targeted at local schools, community groups, science museums, and nature centers. Through the Environmental Reporting Unit, NPR plans to produce eight to ten half hour documentary reports per year on critical environmental issues. Each of these reports will be available to listeners on cassette and will be accompanied by supporting documentation. The SCIENCE FRIDAY team will engage NPR's audience in a lively debate on questions ranging from nuclear physics to archaeology. In addition, SCIENCE FRIDAY will travel to high schools and museums across the country and engage in question and answer sessions with students, teachers, parents and school administrators. These "on the road" segments will be supplemented by live broadcasts from annual meetings of the National Association for Science (NAS) and the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS). Through these efforts, NPR will be able to draw listener attention to the need for improved science and mathematics education, while helping listeners make informed evaluations of current public policy in these areas.
Science-By-Mail is a mentorship program between scientists and youth whereby youth have a subscription for three scientific challenge packets each year, create solutions, and receive responses from a personal scientist. Science-By-Mail brings the excitement of science discovery into classrooms and homes of children around the country and provides them with positive, approachable role models of professional scientists. A grant of $622,088 over three years will allow us to strengthen and expand this program nationally, focusing especially on increasing participation by minority youth and scientists. Specifically, support is requested for the design and development of 12 new challenge packets; to increase participation to 47,900 youth, 4,500 scientists, and 26 regional chapters; promote increased corporate and other private-sector involvement in the program; and to conduct an annual evaluation. The AAAS will aid in the recruitment of volunteer scientists. In addition, we will work together with the National 4-H Council to pilot the program within that organization (with a membership of 5.4 million), focusing particularly on minority youth. Anticipated income form the expansion of Science-By-Mail will make the program self-sufficient at the end of the grant period.//
The Fort Worth Museum of Science and History in Texas will develop a 4,000 square-foot traveling science exhibit on FORENSICS: The Science of Criminal Investigation for circulation to eight major U.S. Cities through the Science Museum Exhibit Collaborative (SMEC). FORENSICS will examine the scientific methods and technologies used in today's crime labs. Core science areas are: DNA profiling; Fingerprinting; Firearms Identification; Evidence Collection; Composites; Forensic Anthropology; Forensic Entomology; Forensic Geology; Odontology; Pathology; Serology; toxicology; Trace Evidence. The development of FORENSICS will draw from the expertise of a distinguished panel of forensic scientists, law enforcement officers, and science educators. FORENSICS will foster science process skills, problem-solving, and deductive reasoning by challenging visitors to solve a crime mystery. A Teacher's Resource Guide to the exhibit will promote indepth classroom investigations of forensics for middle grade (5-9) science lessons. The exhibit will open in Fort Worth in May of 1993, and then tour nationally to eight major U.S. cities, serving over 2.5 million American citizens during its SMEC travel itinerary.
This project will produce and evaluate a pilot program with supplementary print material for a half-hour science radio series for Children. The series will target children 8 to 10 years old, but will be designed to include the entire family. Each program will consist of educational songs, interviews, stories, call-in questions and "hands-on" experiments. The support material will provide additional science activities that may appropriately be conducted in the home and in classrooms. The budget for this pilot phase is $266,521 of which $215,940 is being provided by the NSF. The full series, once produced, is planned to be broadcast through the Children's Radio Network. The AAAS will be responsible for development and management of the outreach component of the project.
WGBH Educational Foundation seeks support from NSF to add a Science Unit to its Descriptive Video Service. In their original proposal they cited three objectives: to produce universally available narrative audio descriptions of public television science program for visually impaired Americans, to disseminate information regarding the availability of the programs, and to raise funds for additional program descriptions. A modest evaluation plan was included. With the funds requested here, they will describe NOVA, NATURE, and THE NEW EXPLORERS. Other programs will be added in the subsequent years. This request is for the support of the first year of a three-year projection.
DATE:
-
TEAM MEMBERS:
Laurie EverettGerry FieldSharon KingLaura Oftedahl