WGBH is producing Seasons II and III of ZOOM, a television series featuring kids that gives viewers in the 8- to 11-year-old range a chance to explore, experiment, and share their creativity with the world. Each season would consist of 40, daily, half-hour shows -- each including a number of science and/or mathematics segments. A unique aspect of ZOOM is that every idea and activity on the show comes from a child who writes or e-mails the show and who is credited on-air for his or her contribution. Production staff and a working group of advisors with expertise in science and math education take these raw ideas and develop them into program segments and outreach projects designed to encourage "habits of mind" -- a set of problem-solving skills and dispositions toward science and math that has been developed in concert with the advisors. Three over-arching science and math-based themes also guide the way science and math are presented over the course of a season. Outreach for Seasons II and III will build on the solid base of outreach developed for Season I, and will consist of: ZOOMerang: Every child who communicates with ZOOM will get something back such as a compilation of science and math activities, jokes, poems, recipes and a series update. ClubZOOM: A set of standards-based science and math activities will be developed along with guidance for how to create after-school clubs. This effort will be pilot tested at 20 sites. ZOOMzones: These are areas in science-technology centers and museums that are devoted to ZOOM and include opportunities for youth and families to interact with science and math content featured on ZOOM. Ten pilot ZOOMzone sites were developed for Season I (from 80 applications). The number of ZOOMzones will be increased and continuing support will be offered to existing sites during Seasons II and III. ZOOMdays: During Season III, WGBH will develop ZOOMdays at shopping malls to reach youth who may not have access to ZOOMzones or ClubZOOM. ZOOMweb site: This web site provides an outreach extension to the TV series by collecting and sharing submissions; illustrating and producing science and math activities; creating a ZOOM community; providing research links to other sites; and aiding adults who are interested in furthering ZOOM's science and math activities in their homes, classrooms, museums and after-school programs.
Franklin Institute proposes to develop Kid Science, a 4,000 square foot, bi-level, core exhibit space for parents and children ages 5-8 years old. Kid Science will accomplish two parallel goals: First, it will provide parents information and insight about K-4 National Science Education Standards, theories of learning and development, and suggestions for interaction with children. For children, the exhibit will be an introduction to basic science learning principles as defined by the national science standards for children ages 5-8, and encourage collaborative learning to foster beneficial parent/child interactions. The development of the Kid Science exhibit will serve as a model to build upon research for establishing effective methods for communicating directly to parents and caregivers through exhibit activities. These activities will be specifically designed to reach elementary age school children and their parents. The cost share for this project is 33% of the total project cost.
The Hudson River Museum (HRM) will develop Hudson Riverama: An Interactive, Long-term Exhibition for Families and School Children. This will be a 2000 sq. ft. exhibit and will take the form of a trip along the Hudson River. Part I, "The Journey," will introduce seven distinct river environments from Lake Tear in the Clouds to the New York Harbor. Part II, "River People," will present human occupations and activities that are related to the river such as a shad fisherman, a municipal planner, a sewage treatment worker, and an environmental educator. The exhibit will present four fundamental, interrelated environmental concepts: ecosystems, habitats, adaptation, and human impact on the environment. Learners will immerse themselves in a habitat by "becoming" Hudson River animals and by role playing field guides, urban planners, etc. National science standards will provide a framework for the exhibit and complementary educational activities. The complementary materials will include pre- and post-visit materials for use by teachers and their students. These will include visual, auditory, tactile and kinesthetic activities that will connect the science education requirements with the exhibit. Information about the exhibit will be broadly disseminated and it is expected that other similar museums will emulate this approach. The exhibit is scheduled to open in January, 2001.
DATE:
-
TEAM MEMBERS:
Philip VerreCatherine Shiga-Gattullo
The Science Place of Dallas, TX requests $47,715 for "The Psychology of Music." With this planning grant they will plan a 5,000 square-foot permanent and traveling exhibition focusing on the psychology of music. The exhibition will use the universal popularity of music as the background to develop an exhibition focusing on: (1) the psychological processes involved in perceiving and understanding music; and (2) how we can use the tools and processes of science in investigating music. The exhibition will present basic concepts concerning the physics and perception of sound. Since few interactive exhibits have been developed around the perception of music as sound, the planning grant will allow The Science Place to develop the conceptual structure for the project, develop an integrated exhibition and education plan, and prepare a business plan for marketing the new exhibition. The planning process will include front-end audience research, a review of academic research on the psychology of music, a planning session with advisors, and dissemination of findings to the museum community.
DATE:
-
TEAM MEMBERS:
William SudduthJeffrey CourtmanLeAnn BinfordPaul Vinson
The Science Museum of Minnesota, in collaboration with Discovery Place and Science North, is producing a pilot stage for a large format film on the life work of Dr. Jane Goodall; her principal research site, Gombe National park in Tanzania; and her study subject, chimpanzees. The film will be a journey into the world of the wild chimpanzee with Dr. Jane Goodall, the best know living woman scientist among adults in the United States. It will chronicle Goodall's life work as well as the work of other researchers in Gombe. Accompanying educational material will include a companion kiosk exhibit, a leadership institute for museum educators, an online program, and women-in-science classes for children and parents. During this pilot stage, the project team will produce large format test footage in Gombe and will further develop the script for the film. The principal science advisor for the project will be Dr. Anne Pusey, professor and director of the Jane Goodall Institute's Center for Primate Studies at the University of Minnesota. She will serve as a Co-PI along with Mike Day of the Science Museum of Minnesota; Freda Nicholson, CEO of Discovery Place; and Sue Griswold, VP for Programs and Education at Discovery Place. Mike Day also will co-executive produce the film with Jim Marchbank, CEO of Science North.
DATE:
-
TEAM MEMBERS:
Mike DaySue GriswoldAnne PuseyFreda NicholsonBarbara Flagg
The Science Museum of Minnesota will develop "Exploring Time," a 4,000 square-foot traveling exhibition, related educational materials, and a public website. Exploring Time will engage visitors in experiences about the natural world that reveal their own abilities to see change over time and to help them see the world in a new way. Through the use of computers, multimedia technology, science apparatus and real objects, visitors will be able to explore the vast world of phenomena that happen too quickly or too slowly for humans to perceive. Vignettes of scientists from a broad array of disciplines will highlight currrent research, show scientists as role models for young people, and demonstrate how compressing and expanding time is a conceptual technique used in many fields of scientific endeavor. Interactive experiments that challenge human perception of time and duration will make personal for visitors their limits and compel them to ask questions scientists do: How can I know about changes that happen outside my perceptions? The exhibition will open at the Science Museum of Minnesota in October, 2001, and then tour to 12 to 15 large- and medium-sized museums around the country, reaching a projected audience of over 2.5 million.
SoundVision Productions is requesting a planning grant of $53,230 to create "Science and the Search for Meaning," a series of one-hour public radio programs and ancillary materials addressing the major scientific discoveries of the twentieth century and how they shape the essential philosophical and religious questions of our age. During this planning phase, SoundVision will 1) Identify a format and topics to be covered and determine the focus of each program; 2) expand the advisory committee to insure representation from a range of disciplines; 3) work with advisors to identify key scientific and ethical issues facing society today; 4) define the advisors' process of editorial oversight; 5) conduct front end evaluation with radio listeners to assess the general level of awareness and interest in the subject; and 6) identify a possible series host.
DATE:
-
TEAM MEMBERS:
Barinetta ScottJudith ThilmanBarbara Flagg
The Maryland Science Center requests $1,586,279 to develop "Titanic Science." The Maryland Science Center will develop an 8,000-square foot interactive traveling exhibition focusing on recent scientific and forensic investigations surrounding the Titanic tragedy of 1912. A planning grant from NSF enabled key personnel to participate in the five-week 1998 scientific expedition to the Titanic wreck site and interact with professional scientists. This expedition will target the general public and provide educational services for students in grades 6-9. The exhibition will travel to 15 host sites and be seen by over 2.5 million visitors. To help parents and educators make the most of this exhibition, a Titanic Explorers Kit and teachers guides will be developed.
The Museum of Science in Boston will develop exhibits and programs for visitors to use models as tools for understanding the world around them. It is the 4th stage of a six-part, long-range vision and plan that focuses on comprehending science as a way of thinking and doing. "Making Models" will serve over one million visitors per year, mostly families and school groups. The models to be featured include physical, biological, conceptual, mathematical, and computer simulation models. Four (4) specific science inquiry skills will be stressed, which are associated with making and using models: recognition of similarities, assessment of limitations, communication of ideas, and the creation of one's own models for developing personal understanding and appreciation of the world in which we live. In tandem with this new exhibit, some current exhibits and programs will be modified to meet these modeling goals. Demonstrating the application of these new exhibit techniques for other museums and science centers, and evaluating how visitors learn in this setting will also be performed, with the results disseminated on a national level. The Museum will collaborate with two (2) other nationally known sites in this development and evaluation of exhibit components, creation of new teacher development programs, and the development of models-related web resources.
DATE:
-
TEAM MEMBERS:
Douglas SmithLarry BellPaul Fontiane
Chocolate! is a travelling 4,500 sq. ft. exhibit developed and produced by the Field Museum of Chicago. The visitor is invited on a journey through time, where they can explore the interactions between humans and ecosystems, and discover how cultures have shaped -- and have been shaped by -- this gift of nature, chocolate. The exhibition and its associated programs will promote awareness of the process natural products undergo as they are integrated into our lives, and will encourage the visitor to question how cultural traditions, people, and the environment are intertwined. The exhibition consists of four (4) areas. Exploring the cacao tree (Threobroma cacao) beginning with its ecological requirements (Bounty from Nature's Garden), its practical and ritual use by Mesoamerican societies (Food of the Gods), its introduction to Europe several hundred years ago (Bitter Seeds of Sweet Success), and finally its important role in international markets today (Where Money Grows on Trees) will all be highlighted. Throughout the entire exhibition, connections between natural ecosystems and human cultures will be reinforced within the context of contemporary conservation issues. The "Chocolate!" exhibition and programs will tour North America, coordinated by SITES and reaching 1,000,000 visitors over three (3) years. In addition, a website will ensure long-term public and classroom access to the educational materials related to cacao and chocolate.
DATE:
-
TEAM MEMBERS:
Anamari GolfM. Frances Muraski-Stotz
The Exploratorium will design, build and travel an exhibition on human memory called "Memory: A Traveling Exhibition." This 3,000-square-foot exhibition will approach human memory from biological, cognitive, personal and cultural perspectives. "Memory: A Traveling Exhibition" will be a smaller, moveable version of a successful exhibition at the Exploratorium in 1998. A recent boom in scientific research dealing with memory has generated a corresponding need for science centers to inform the public about the nature and significance of findings. This exhibition will be designed to increase the public's awareness of the extent, importance and nature of their memories, as well as their understanding of how cognitive scientists study the mind. The exhibition will travel to science centers across the nation.
DATE:
-
TEAM MEMBERS:
Michael PearceKathleen McLeanJoe Hastings
The Educational Develpoment Center (EDC) and National Institute on Out-of-School Time (NIOST), in collaboration with science centers in AZ, MA, TX, NY, NC and CA, will develop and implement a science curriculum for informal audiences targeting children ages 8-12. Each science center will work with six community centers that serve youth in after-school programs. Science center staff will train after-school program leaders from the 36 community centers at monthly sessions, in addition to holding monthly events for families. Curriculum development will use interesting topics aligned with national standards and structure investigations as games using simple materials. The units will enable children to work in teams, and include follow-up, discussion and extended investigations using websites. It is anticipated that each child will complete 4-6 related investigations. While the six science centers will provide the content expertise, EDC and NIOST will develop the training and assessment program and provide additional technical support for the community centers. The result will be a model to support out-of-school programs that combines science centers and community resource people, centered around an activity-based curriculum focused on inquiry. Up to 1,000 children will be involved in field tests each summer. This proposal builds on "Design It!" (ESI 98-14765), which created an informal science curriculum focused on engineering principles.