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
This study explored the nature of the relationship between a fifth-grade teacher and an informal science educator as they planned and implemented a life science unit in the classroom, and sought to define this relationship in order to gain insight into the roles of each educator. In addition, student learning as a result of instruction was assessed. Prior research has predominately examined relationships and roles of groups of teachers and informal educators in the museum setting (Tal et al. in Sci Educ 89:920–935, 2005 ; Tal and Steiner in Can J Sci Math Technol Educ 6:25–46, 2006 ; Tran 2007
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
Using data from interviews with 133 physicists and biologists working at elite research universities in the United States, we analyze narratives of outreach. We identify discipline-specific barriers to outreach and gender-specific rationales for commitment. Physicists view outreach as outside of the scientific role and a possible threat to reputation. Biologists assign greater value to outreach, but their perceptions of the public inhibit commitment. Finally, women are more likely than men to participate in outreach, a commitment that often results in peer-based informal sanctions. The study
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TEAM MEMBERS:
David JohnsonAnne EcklundAnne Lincoln
Scholars and pundits alike argue that U.S. scientists could do more to reach out to the general public. Yet, to date, there have been few systematic studies that examine how scientists understand the barriers that impede such outreach. Through analysis of 97 semi-structured interviews with academic biologists and physicists at top research universities in the United States, we classify the type and target audiences of scientists’ outreach activities. Finally, we explore the narratives academic scientists have about outreach and its reception in the academy, in particular what they perceive as
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TEAM MEMBERS:
Elaine Howard EcklundSarah JamesAnne Lincoln
This report contains findings from a summative evaluation study of a set of four featured elements that comprise the new Nature Research Center of the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences. The elements were: 1) an exhibit, Ancient Fossils, New Discoveries; 2) Investigate Labs; 3) Daily Planet Scientist Talks; 4) Science Cafes. Evaluation was conducted as four distinct, multi-method studies to provide targeted understanding of visitor outcomes and experiences at each element. Findings across the four elements indicate that the features of the NRC are enjoyed by visitors and each supports
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
Relatively little is known about how Natural History Museums (NHMs) and schools can complement one another to maximize learning among school-age learners. Nor do we fully understand the long-term benefits to learning and engagement with science that NHMs have. In this Science Learning+ project researchers in UK and US universities will work with practitioners in NHMs and school teachers in the UK and the US to address these questions. The project will (a) undertake a critical review of the published and grey literature to examine the contributions to learning and engagement that NHMs have made; (b) develop improved instruments that are common across schools, NHMs and other out-of-school settings to determine the efficacy of learning experiences; devise protocols to explore the possibility of data obtained from museum evaluations being matched with national databases, thus improving our understanding of the consequences of such experiences; (c) map the areas of science curricula (using the latest version of the science National Curriculum in England and the Common Core Standards in the US) that NHMs might most valuably address; d) through researcher-practitioner collaboration review current pedagogical approaches employed by schools and NHMs, with a view to developing and studying new practice models in Phase 2. The project will devise validated instruments (of the sort that are increasingly used in large-scale social psychology studies) and explore whether data obtained from museum visitors can be matched, both in the UK and in the US, onto external datasets (e.g. the National Pupil Database in the UK; Elementary/Secondary Information System in the US).