This paper outlines findings from a 1990 survey conducted by the American Association of Zoological Parks and Aquariums (AAZPA), specifically related to the prevalence and value of teacher training programs at accredited AAZPA institutions.
This paper outlines the methodology and findings of a study that analyzed the effects of zoo-based educational approaches on the knowledge of, and attitude toward, wildlife conservation among Colombian fourth-grade students (9 to 11 years of age). The rationale behind the study was that direct experience, coupled with adequate preparation and reinforcement, should improve children's knowledge of, and attitudes toward wildlife.
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TEAM MEMBERS:
Teresa Gutierrez de WhiteSusan K. Jacobson
This paper outlines the methodology and findings of a front-end evaluation conducted by staff at the Science Museum at the National Autonomous University of Mexico in preparation of opening a new Biodiversity Hall. Researchers surveyed junior high teachers and students to better understand this audience's attitudes about the environment, evolution, taxonomy, biodiversity, etc. as well as their general knowledge of these topics.
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TEAM MEMBERS:
Silvia E. ZamoraSusana Lopez de LaraAdriana Bravo
In this paper, researchers from Colorado State University (CSU) discuss rising concern of public land managers, ranchers, and the general public about public lands grazing and the conflicts that arise between industry and recreation-seeking citizens. The authors present findings from a research project conducted under a cooperative agreement between the College of Natural Resources at CSU, the Grand Mesa/Uncompaghre National Forest, and the Rocky Mountain Forest Experiment Station. The first phase of this research was a visitor perception study conducted on the Big Cimarron Allotment in
This paper examines long term measures of self reported behavior changes after a visit to a botanic garden. These efforts analyze the effectiveness of botanic garden exhibits on focusing public attention on the issues of conservation. Key findings from a study at the "Endangered Island Plants" exhibit at the Chelsea Physic Garden are outlined.
This paper discusses a collaboration between the Brooklyn Children's Museum and Brooklyn Botanic Garden on a series of educational programs and exhibits entitled "Breaking Ground." Developers aimed to create programs to teach basic science principles related to botany, ethnobotany, and urban ecology, promote urban children's understanding of the importance of plants to humans, biologically and culturally, and foster positive environmental ethics in children 6 to 12 years of age. Findings from a research study to support the development of these programs are briefly outlined in this paper.
The Brooklyn Children's Museum (BCM) is requesting $242,753 from the National Science Foundation to introduce a traveling version of the Museum's award-winning, interactive science exhibit, ANIMALS EAT: DIFFERENT FEASTS FOR DIFFERENT BEASTS. ANIMALS EAT was designed to assist children in the formation of their concept of a living thing. The exhibition specifically focuses on familiar animals, and on eating in order to illustrate this complex idea. Throughout the exhibit, where appropriate, human parallels demonstrate the interrelatedness of all living things. The touring exhibit will incorporate the in-depth research, development and extensive evaluation that went into the installation at BCM. It will encompass approximately 2,000 square feet and will travel to at least ten locations over a perior of two-and-one-half years, offering hundreds of thousands of children and families a unique and exciting way to learn important natural science concepts. As part of the touring package, the Museum will also circulate Evi"Dents," a science curriculum kit developed for grades 3-5. Using activity books, natural science specimens and investigation tools, Evi"Dents" provides an interactive seven-week study of teeth for teachers and students that develops students' scientific and research skills. Through loans to local schools at the tour sites, Evi"Dents" will complement and extend the educational potential of the exhibition.
Boston Museum of Science seeks funds from the National Science Foundation for the development of a group of interactive exhibits and educational programs that will comprise the Museum's permanent TESTING THE THEORY activity center. The project is part of a new approach to exhibits that aims to make the experiences available to visitors closer to the actual process of scientific discovery. Visitors will carry out experiments in fields ranging from chemistry and cognitive psychology, to statistics, optics, and materials science. The focus will be on promoting specific experimental skills and scientific habits of mind, and on encouraging the transfer of these skills to everyday activities. The exhibit techniques developed during the prototyping and production of TESTING THE THEORY are expected to be of importance to science museums and others concerned with increasing science literacy.
In the Fall of 1994 The New York Botanical Garden will begin its second 100 years of commitment to science education with the opening of the Children's Adventure Garden and the Children's Adventure Trails. As two components of the Children's Adventure Project , these informal science education facilities will use participatory discovery to engage urban children and their families in learning botanical science, inquiry skills, positive attitudes towards science, and the methods of scientists. In the 1.5 acre Adventure Garden children will interact with living plants and fabricated exhibits to discover fundamental principles of plant biology; and in the one mile of Adventure Trails they will closely observe interdependencies of complex ecosystems using the framework of these fundamental principles. To expand visitor understanding of plant biology and the ways that scientists study it, Investigation Stations, integral components of each facility, will be placed so that visitors will handle, sense, and observe living plants in situ and interact with fabricated exhibits and scientific tools. The Project will be developed by NYBG staff educators and scientists with on-going participation of a broad spectrum of advisors and consultants, including exhibition designers, evaluators, community school teachers, and environmental education specialists.
The Calvert Marine Museum will develop an exhibit and complementary programming interpreting the Miocene Age marine life. Treasure from the Cliffs: Exploring Marine Fossils will use the world famous fossils of Calvert Cliffs as the basis for the exhibit. It is their intention to convey a strong sense of the personal process of discovery and the creative component of scientific inquiry to the exhibit visitors. In their words, "The overriding purpose of Treasure from the Cliffs is to model a new paradigm for natural history exhibits: to take a humanistic and holistic approach that recognizes the centrality of imagination to the scientific enterprise, and that engages curiosity and creativity -- as well as intellect -- in the process of science learning." Upon entering the exhibit, a visitor's interest will be peeked by seeing the large, dramatically lit, fossil Great White Shark Tooth. Visitors will get involved in the wonder and process of science at the beginning of the exhibit in the Paleontology Office/Lab and Fossil Identification area. They will then move on to see a replicated section of the Calvert Cliffs and cases illustrating how fossil deposits form. Two recreated Miocene dioramas one of which will include a full-size skeletal reconstruction of the giant fossil Great White Shark come next. Visitors will then be able to investigate on their own in a reading station and a video and demonstration theater. Visitors will exit the exhibit after a section that shows how the modern Chesapeake Bay was formed. This leads them seamlessly into the museum's next exhibit hall Estuary Patuxent: A River and its Life. The museum will develop a series of complementary programs in association with this exhibit to reach a wider audience that will include formal educators among others. They will organize a speakers service, develop a fossil field guide, and produce a video about the Great White Shark.
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TEAM MEMBERS:
Michael GottfriedS. Curtis BowmanM. Lynne Warren
Ornithology is one of the few scientific disciplines to which amateurs can still make significant contributions. Whether they observe birds at a feeder, count birds for a national census, or conduct a simple experiment, their activities contribute greatly to our knowledge of birds. Furthermore, participants in bird study programs not only learn about birds, they also become more aware of environmental problems. The Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology exists to facilitate such amateur involvement and education. This proposal is aimed at strengthening our education programs and expanding them to include under-served audiences in the inner city. We propose to evaluate the extent to which our radio program, magazine, and Project FeederWatch appeal to various audiences and how effective these programs are at communicating information about birds and in stimulating involvement. Based on this evaluation, we will modify our programs, then evaluate them again. We are also proposing a brand-new volunteer-assisted data gathering program, which we call the National Science Experiment. In cooperation with other organizations, volunteers will look at the biology of pigeons in our cities, food preferences of winter birds across the United States, and the habitat requirements of neotropical migrant tanagers. The results of these studies will be of interest to both ornithologists and birders; furthermore, participants in the project will gain first-hand involvement with the process of science.
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.