The United Nations Strategic Plan for Biodiversity 2011-2020 is a key initiative within global efforts to halt and eventually reverse the loss of biodiversity. The very first target of this plan states that "by 2020, at the latest, people are aware of the values of biodiversity and the steps they can take to conserve and use it sustainably." Zoos and aquariums worldwide, attracting more than 700 million visits every year, could potentially make a positive contribution to this target. However, a global evaluation of the educational impacts of visits to zoos and aquariums is entirely lacking in
Botanic gardens are popular destinations for school visits to learn about plant-based science. However, little is known about teaching and learning in such settings, in particular about school visits guided by professional botanic garden educators (BGEs). The purpose of this study was to identify the pedagogical moves of the BGEs during guided school visits. More specifically, this study follows a qualitative research design, investigating six elementary school groups (7- to 11-years old) guided by three BGEs. The guided visits were videotaped and the transcripts analyzed in order to find out
Community gardens are rich non-school sites of informal adult learning and education in the North American food movement. To date, however, they have seldom been the subject of research in environmental education. This paper argues that theorising on public pedagogy and social movement learning from the field of Adult Education might effectively be applied to frame the study of learning in community gardens. A brief history of community gardens in the USA is first given, followed by an overview of theory on social movement learning. A review of empirical research on the individual and
Recently, schools nationwide have expressed a renewed interest in school gardens, viewing them as innovative educational tools. Most of the scant studies on these settings investigate the health/nutritional impacts, science learning potential, or emotional dispositions of students. However, few studies examine the shifts in attitudes that occur for students as a result of experiences in school gardens. The purpose of this mixed method study was to examine a school garden program at a K-3 elementary school. Our study sought to demonstrate the value of garden-based learning through a focus on
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TEAM MEMBERS:
Carley Fisher-MalteseTimothy Zimmerman
This summative evaluation of the University of Washington Botany Greenhouse K-12 Education Outreach Program analyzed the contents of 468 thank-you notes written by program participants using the National Science Foundation’s Framework for Evaluating Impacts of Informal Science Education Projects. Strong evidence was found for impacts in three STEM learning categories: Awareness, Knowledge or Understanding, Engagement or Interest, and Skills.
The Self-Reliance Foundation (SRF) Conociendo Tu Cuerpo (Know Your Body) Hispanic Community Health Sciences Education project is an initiative designed to introduce Hispanic students and families to biomedical science and health education resources, and increase their participation levels in these fields. The educational goals of the project are to: (1) Encourage Hispanic undergraduate students to pursue careers in biomedicine and science through a mentoring program at the university level; (2) Inspire an interest in biomedical science among Hispanic elementary-age students and parents through community outreach activities; (3) Inform Hispanic parents about biomedical science education standards and academic requirements for pursuing biomedical and science related careers; and (4) Inform and inspire Hispanic students and their families about the biomedical sciences and related careers through a series of daily nationally broadcast Spanish-language radio capsules, and a nationally syndicated Spanish newspaper column. Conociendo Tu Cuerpo (Know Your Body) includes several key components: A model, Washington, D.C., area coalition of informal science, health, community, education, and media organizations that will publicize and provide hands-on health science activities at community festivals and other community settings; Hispanic undergraduate student health-science fellows to be trained and provided experience in facilitating health science activities; and nationally broadcast Spanish-language radio capsules that will cover topics in areas of biomedicine, research, education, and health-science careers. Parents and students will be able to access additional information about biomedical science opportunities and Hispanic role models in the biomedical sciences through the project's Conociendo Tu Cuerpo website and the bilingual 800 telephone help line promoted by 147 participating radio stations and 102 newspapers nationwide. The project will be supported at the national level through collaboration with the Hispanic Radio Network and the Pacific Science Center. The Washington, D.C., collaborative will include the Capital Children's Museum, local Spanish language radio stations, area universities, and health and community organizations. Development Associates, the largest American education and evaluation consulting corporation, will evaluate the project.
The long-term goal of this project is to expand and disseminate our innovative internship and near-peer mentoring models for minority youth and women in the biomedical sciences, thus increasing the number of minority students participating in the quantitative disciplines. Dissemination and expansion of the program will take place in three steps: (1) Within the national capital region through the Internet and cooperative arrangements with established educational initiatives within DCPS system; (2) For year 2, expand to one site outside the national capital area. The site would be for a group that had already begun to model its fledgling program on our STARS program, or one of the specific sites discussed in Aim 3. The likely site would be at Fort Monmouth, N.J., since Dr. Constella Zimmerman is planning to start a STARS initiative; and (3) Extend the program to specific sites within selected cities, and utilize current contacts in states that do not yet have a SEPA program to disseminate.
The Miami Museum of Science, in collaboration with University of Miami's (UM) School of Medicine, is requesting a Phase II grant to support national replication of the Biomedical Training, Research and College Prep (BioTrac) Project. The goal of Phase I, now in its final year of funding, was to develop a replicable model aimed at increasing the numbers of underserved students entering the biomedical research pipeline. Phase I focused on priority areas under Healthy People 2000 reflecting health issues of interest to the community as well as resources available through UM's Jackson Memorial Medical Center. Comprising hands-on project-based programming, career awareness activities, college prep, research internships and college residential experiences, the project has served 98 students to date, of whom 88% are low-income and 96% reside in homes where English is the second language. Of the 43 seniors who have graduated to date, 42 are enrolled in post-secondary studies. Of these, 52% have chosen a science-related major, and of these, 73% have chosen a biomedical course of study. Under the proposed Phase II project, the useum will establish BioTrac as a national demonstration site, extending BioTrac strategies and materials to formal and informal science institutions (ISis) through site-based institutes, distance-learning opportunities and professional conferences and publications. Continued delivery of BioTrac programming at the demonstration site will also further increase the number of underrepresented students entering the biomedical research pipeline, and allow for further programming aimed at increasing public understanding of Healthy People 2010 priorities and biomedical research. The museum will target ISis with youth programs to attend a three-day replication institute, reaching a minimum of 30 ISis during the grant. Through participation in national conferences and professional development sponsored by the Association of Science-Technology Centers, representng 340 ISis, the model has the capacity to impact small, medium, and large science centers nationwide. The model will also be adaptable for use by the other 123 Upward Bound Math & Science Centers engaged in science enrichment programming for underserved youth. Finally, elements of the model will be suitable for extracurricular school-based science clubs and high school magnet programs focused on biomedicine, further extending the potential impact of the model to school districts nationwide.
Understanding a community's concerns and informational needs is crucial to conducting and improving environmental health research and literacy initiatives. We hypothesized that analysis of community inquiries over time at a legacy mining site would be an effective method for assessing environmental health literacy efforts and determining whether community concerns were thoroughly addressed. Through a qualitative analysis, we determined community concerns at the time of being listed as a Superfund site. We analyzed how community concerns changed from this starting point over the subsequent
A research project that is only expert-driven may ignore the role of local knowledge in research, often gives low priority to the development of a comprehensive communication strategy to engage the community, and may not deliver the results of the study to the community in an effective way. Objective: To demonstrate how a research program can respond to a community research need, establish a community-academic partnership, and build a co-created citizen science program. Methods: A place-based, community-driven project was designed where academics and community members maintained a reciprocal
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TEAM MEMBERS:
Univeristy of Wisconsin- StoutMonica Ramirez-AndreottaMark BrusseauJanick ArtiolaRaina MaierA Jay Gandolfi
BioTrac will expand opportunities in biomedicine for low-income, first-generation college-bound high school students, increasing the number interested in, and prepared to enter, the biomedical research pipeline. Specific objectives are to: (1) Raise awareness of careers in biomedicine and provide students with real-world biomedical research experiences; (2) Increase awareness of requirements and opportunities for related post-secondary study; (3) Increase public understanding of the importance and diversity of biomedical research; and (4) Disseminate project outcomes. In collaboration with the University of Miami (UM) and Miami-Dade County Public Schools (M-DCPS), the Museum will design and implement a replicable model program exposing students to research on selected priority areas outlined in the Public Health Service's Healthy People 2000 agenda. The program will focus on areas with significant local research capacity, ties to local growth industries, and relevance to Miami-Dade's diverse communities. Students will investigate each area through hands-on lab activities, on-line research, site visits to research facilities, and through interactions with research scientists at UM's nationally renowned Jackson Memorial Medical Complex. Students will work in teams to conduct community-focused research on aspects of each priority area, using technology skills acquired as part of the program to document their research through digital video, PowerPoint presentations, and development of a BioTrac website. Students will present their research at annual symposia held at the Museum. They will also serve as science explainers in the Museum's galleries, interpreting biomedical-related exhibits to the general public. During the summer before 12th grade, students will attend residential programs at University of Florida and Florida A&M University, gaining exposure to post-secondary programs leading to careers in biomedical research. Students in 11th and 12th grade will also be encouraged to participate in M-DCPS's Advanced Academic Internship Program, gaining up to three honors credits for work in institutions engaged in biomedical research. Following 12th grade, prior to beginning college, students will be placed in an eight-week summer internships at UM labs engaged in a broad spectrum of biomedical research. The Museum will disseminate students' research experiences and project findings through an BioTrac web page, ASTC and Upward Bound conferences and networks, and Museum and UM publications.
Recent biomedical research has transformed scientific understanding of human biology. But many of these advances haven’t filtered into public awareness, hindering our ability to make good health-related decisions. A new educational program ‒ Biology of Human ‒ will help the public, particularly young people, better understand advances in biomedical research. This innovative, learning research-based science education program is strategically designed to increase awareness of and understanding about new biomedical research developments pertaining to human biology. Biology of Human will provide a sophisticated science education outreach package for students aged 11 to 15 and adults, including parents and educators. The project's goal is to leverage the latest biomedical information and innovations, a dynamic suite of educational and dissemination strategies, and research-driven approach grounded in sociology to broadly educate youth and adults about human biology. A team led by the University of Nebraska State Museum, the Department of Sociology at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, and the NIH/NCRR-funded Nebraska Center for Virology (a Center of Biomedical Research Excellence) will work with science writers, kids, and educators to complete three specific aims: 1) stimulate interest in and understanding of biomedical research's importance to diverse individuals' health, communities, and environments; 2) establish partnerships among science educators, biomedical researchers, science journalists, and others to create dynamic educational resources focused on biomedical research developments and human biology; and 3) increase youths' interest in biomedical science. Biology of Human will provide adults and youth with several simultaneous, complementary options for learning about how biomedical research has helped us understand human biology including essays, books and blogs; entertaining and scientifically accurate mobile and tablet apps; activities and graphic stories; and a Web site that complements and supports the project's professional development programs. More than 175,000 youth and adults are expected to be directly impacted through this effort.