From May 16 through October 26, 2015, The New York Botanical Garden will present the first solo exhibition on Frida Kahlo to be mounted in New York City in more than 25 years. This institution-wide exhibition aims to uncover new motivations for Kahlo’s work by focusing attention on the importance of plants and nature in both her painting and her life. As one of the world’s premier botanical gardens, NYBG is uniquely qualified to present the first exhibition to focus on Kahlo’s engagement with nature, revealing her intense interest, aesthetic appreciation, and deep knowledge of the natural world, especially Mexico’s plant life.
This project will design an ambitious multi-partner, multi-format, multi-venue project focused on the Arizona-Sonora borderlands. The project combines experienced co-directors and leading borderland scholars with more than a dozen Historical and Cultural Organizations (HCOs) in small and mid-sized communities to explore and interpret the unique cultures, history, and physical landscapes of the region. The project aims to foster historical perspectives on the international border, cross-cultural understanding, and a deeper sense of place among the region’s residents and visitors. A suite of interrelated physical and digital products will elaborate five themes: the border through time; bridging cultures across borders; nature and history—ties that bind; shared identity amid social diversity; and a storied landscape. Formats include an interpretive website and digital archive; a traveling exhibit co-hosted/produced with our HCO partners; and community sponsored public programs.
This project will produce Into the Amazon: The Roosevelt-Rondon Scientific Expedition, a special presentation of AMERICAN EXPERIENCE, for broadcast on PBS. This two-hour film tells the story of a remarkable expedition, led by former US President Theodore Roosevelt and legendary Brazilian explorer Candido Mariano Da Silva Rondon, to explore an uncharted spur of the Amazon in one of the most remote and forbidding landscapes on earth. Over eight eventful weeks in the Brazilian rainforest Roosevelt and Rondon encountered and ultimately overcame a seemingly endless array of obstacles, including poisonous snakes, ravenous insects, flesh-eating fish, and impassable rapids. Meanwhile, indigenous people watched the expedition from the shadows, and debated whether the interlopers should live or die.
The article discusses the public participation in scientific research, or citizen science, which involves the use of crowdsourcing to gather data for scientific research. The author looks at the use of citizen science in the field of ornithology, evidenced by Cornell University's Ornithology Lab. Topics include massive online citizen science projects such as SETILive's Allen Telescope Array, which searched for extraterrestrial life, the use of citizen science in STEM academic disciplines, as well as Yale University's partnership with the computer platform Zooniverse to gather data for its
The article discusses initiatives by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology to connect youth to the natural world through birding. It has developed educational resources, known as BirdSleuth which are used around the U.S. to support students in citizen-science participation, outdoor activities, and inquiry-based investigations. It talks about BirdSleuth's Investigating Evidence module, the "Classroom BirdScope" research journal, and the Cornell Lab of Ornithology's eBird citizen-science project.
The article discusses citizen science projects focused on entomology, and examines their usefulness for engaging students in science education and providing meaningful hands-on educational experiences. Advice for incorporating citizen science into lessons and curricula are offered, and the applicability of entomology to science education standards is touched on.
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TEAM MEMBERS:
Renee ClarJames WandersheeJohn GuytonMichael Williams
Encouraging nonprofessionals to participate in ecological research through citizen science programs is a recent innovation and an effective strategy for gathering ecological information across broad geographical areas. In this paper, we demonstrate how reporting field-based observations through eBird, a citizen-based birding and data-recording program, can be used as a lab activity in an undergraduate ecology class. This exercise exposes students to worldwide data collecting networks in which non-scientific communities serve as major stakeholders. This lab activity also introduces basic field
The Global Viewport project was an integrative collaboration between the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) and. the New Bedford Oceanarium Corporation dba Ocean Explorium at New Bedford Seaport (hereafter, Ocean Explorium). The main thematic area that was addressed is Improving Public Earth System Science Literacy. A main objective of the Global Viewport project was to address Goal 1 of the GEO Education and Diversity Strategic Plan (2010-2015): “Advancing public literacy in Earth System Science.” For this evaluation the public interacted with spherical display content in an informal
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TEAM MEMBERS:
Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI)Meredith Emery
Over the last ten years, out-of-school-time (OST) science programs have multiplied to increase young people’s exposure to science. However, there are still not enough opportunities for long-term engagement, which is essential to move youth from having interest in science to having the skills, knowledge, and self-efficacy to pursue careers in science. This article describes findings from exploratory research conducted to document the experiences of a small group of young women of color who participated in a museum-based OST program during their middle and high school years.
This poster was presented at the 2014 AISL PI Meeting in Washington DC. It describes the CLUES project that provides STEM education opportunities to families.
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TEAM MEMBERS:
New Jersey Academy for Aquatic SciencesBarbara Kelly
This project entails the creation of a coordinated colony of robotic bees, RoboBees. Research topics are split between the body, brain, and colony. Each of these research areas is drawn together by the challenges of recreating various functionalities of natural bees. One such example is pollination: Bees coordinate to interact with complex natural systems by using a diversity of sensors, a hierarchy of task delegation, unique communication, and an effective flapping-wing propulsion system. Pollination and other agricultural tasks will serve as challenge thrusts throughout the life of this project. Such tasks require expertise across a broad spectrum of scientific topics. The research team includes experts in biology, computer science, electrical and mechanical engineering, and materials science, assembled to address fundamental challenges in developing RoboBees. An integral part of this program is the development of a museum exhibit, in partnership with the Museum of Science, Boston, which will explore the life of a bee and the technologies required to create RoboBees.
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TEAM MEMBERS:
Robert WoodRadhika NagpalJ. Gregory MorrisettGu-Yeon WeiJoseph Ayers
This research was conducted to inform the planning process for a new jellies exhibit at the Monterey Bay Aquarium. The main issues investigated were: (1) Are visitors interested in interpretive information about jellies or is it only important to have an esthetically attractive exhibit?; (2) What esthetic features are most appealing?; and (3) What kinds of information and ways of presenting information are most enticing to visitors? A sample of 195 aquarium visitors was interviewed upon leaving The Outer Bay, after seeing the current jellies exhibits in the Jellies-Drifters Gallery (everyone