The Trail of Time exhibition under construction at Grand Canyon National Park is the world's largest geoscience exhibition at one of the world's grandest geologic landscapes. It is a 2-km-long interpretive walking timeline trail that leverages Grand Canyon vistas and rocks to guide visitors to ponder, explore, and understand the magnitude of geologic time and the stories encoded by Grand Canyon rock layers and landscapes. As one of a new generation of geoscience education exhibits, the Trail of Time targets multiple cognitive and affective levels with accurate content, active geoscience
DATE:
TEAM MEMBERS:
Karl KarlstromSteven SemkenLaura CrosseyDeborah PerryEric GyllenhaalJeff DodickMichael WilliamsJudy Hellmitch-BryanRyan CrowNievita Bueno WattsCharles Ault
Despite the developed world’s climate-controlled interiors and easy access to all kinds of fresh produce at any time of year, our lives are still dependent upon the weather and climate. With global warming, our dependence is becoming even more apparent. I am an artist working with new technologies and last year I had the opportunity to go to Antarctica for two months on a US National Science Foundation-sponsored residency where I worked alongside scientists studying the global implications of Antarctic weather and climate change. The Antarctic is unlike any other place on earth. There, I
The goal of the study was to inform an interpretive and master planning process at Eastern State Penitentiary Historic Site by documenting visitor motivations, interests, experience, and learning outcomes of four key audiences identified by Eastern State: walk-in visitors (adult only), walk-in visitors (groups with children), prearranged adult tour groups, and school groups. Specifically, the report focuses on the following evaluative questions: 1) Who are the visitors to Eastern State and why do they come? (e.g., entry conditions such as demographics, motivations for their visit, expectations
DATE:
TEAM MEMBERS:
Jill SteinEastern State Penitentiary Historic SiteJes A. Koepfler
Sugar from the Sun was managed by the Garfield Park Conservatory Alliance (GPCA) and funded, in part, by the National Science Foundation. For this project, a 6,400 square foot living exhibition was built at Garfield Park Conservatory. This exhibition, comprised of five sections, depicted plants' production of sugar from water, air, and sunlight. The exhibition also featured a printed Exhibit Guide and hands-on activities. This study used a naturalistic inquiry methodology. The research question for this study was, As visitors engage with the immersive environments and interpretive messages in
DATE:
TEAM MEMBERS:
Eric GyllenhaalGarfield Park Conservatory Alliance
GRG conducted summative evaluation of Ganga, a NSF-funded six-segment series of NPR radio programs about the culture and ecology of the river Ganga in India and Bangladesh and its companion Website. Through a web-based survey, GRG assessed the study participants' knowledge gain from and the satisfaction with the series and the Website. The appendix of this report includes the online survey used in the study.
DATE:
TEAM MEMBERS:
Irene GoodmanIndependent Broadcasting Associates, Inc.
Watching a long unedited video is usually a boring experience. In this paper we examine a particular subset of videos, tour videos, in which the video is captured by walking about with a running camera with the goal of conveying the essence of some place. We present a system that makes the process of sharing and watching a long tour video easier, less boring, and more informative.
DATE:
TEAM MEMBERS:
Michael CohenJue WangSuporn Pongnumkul
Evaluates students' knowledge of three fields of science (earth, physical, and life), three elements of knowing and doing science (conceptual understanding, scientific investigation, and practical reasoning), and two overarching domains in science (the nature of science and themes-systems, models, and patterns-present in science).
DATE:
TEAM MEMBERS:
Nancy L. AllenJames E. CarlsonChristine A. Zelenak
Measures children's global attitudes and knowledge about environmental issues, such as animals, energy, pollution, recycling, water, and general issues.
DATE:
TEAM MEMBERS:
Frank C. LeemingWilliam O. DwyerBruce A. Bracken
In this article, Joan Krevlin, Partner at BKSK Architects, discusses the "Preschool Playground" exhibition at the New York Hall of Science, where children discover the environment and learn principles of science through sensory exploration. Krevlin outlines the background, planning process, and design of the unique exhibit.