The article discusses the highlights of the sixth annual "Spring Event in Rome on Modern Leonardos" Internet conference co-sponsored by the U.S. Embassy in Italy and The American University of Rome on May 23, 2013. Maria Stella Rasetti of the Biblioteca San Giorgio, Pistoia provided a video of the public library's YouLab in action. Other presentations included one on Fab Lab Barcelona by its director Tomas Diez and another by Neil Gershenfeld, originator of the fabrication laboratory concept.
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Susanne Bjorner
resourceprojectProfessional Development, Conferences, and Networks
The National Academy of Sciences is proposing a three-day Sackler Colloquium on the Science of Science Communication to be held in September 2013. This conference, which will build upon the themes of the colloquium held in 2012, will bring together communication researchers, scientists, and science communication practitioners to foster interdisciplinary discussion and promote the understanding and use of research in confronting science communication challenges of national import. Prominent communication researchers will cover subjects such as "Belief and Attitude Formation about Science Topics," "Communicating Uncertainty," "Influences of Social Networks", and "Narratives in Science Communication" during the first two days of the conference. Concurrent workshops on four topics of national interest will comprise Day Three. The meeting will be held at the National Academy of Sciences, and will be webcast live as well as archived. The proceedings of Days 1 and 2 will be published in a special issue of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. In addition, written summaries of the research results and communication recommendations from the workshop on Day 3 will be distributed free on the National Academies website to highlight the importance of the role of research in effective science communication. Goals of the colloquium are to generate an appreciation of the power of social science research to guide more effective communication of STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) to help identify the gaps in communication research, and to promote sustained STEM communication programs. The colloquium will highlight the importance of the role of research in effective science communication, and strengthen understanding, appreciation, and collaboration between disciplines. It will also further strengthen the bridge between communication research and practice with the goal of improving the science of science communication.
The Golden Gate Bridge Highway Transportation District (GGBHTD), in collaboration with the Consortium of Universities for Research in Earthquake Engineering (CUREE), and in partnership with Princeton University, Stanford University, San Jose State University, the Sciencenter (Ithaca, NY), the Exploratorium (San Francisco), Eyethink, West Wind Laboratory, EHDD Architects, the American Public Works Association, and the International Bridge, Tunnel and Turnpike Association, is conducting a multi-faceted project about the science and engineering of the Golden Gate Bridge and about how public works facilities around the country can potentially become sites for public understanding of and engagement with science and engineering. GGBHTD, which operates and maintains the bridge, ferries and buses, hosts over 10-million visitors annually to their current visitor center at the south end of the bridge (San Francisco), serves an additional 2-million users of their ferries, and hosts a popular Web site (http://goldengatebridge.org/). The project deliverables are scheduled to coincide in 2012 with the 75th anniversary of the 1937 opening of the bridge. Educational products include: outdoor exhibits at the Golden Gate Bridge; exhibits about the bridge on the District's ferries; indoor exhibits at the Exploratorium; an expanded Web site with educational material about the bridge; an international conference in San Francisco around the time of the anniversary about public works as sites for informal science education; educational documents and a professional development program for public works staff from around the country; and a suite of publications for the public and professionals on public works research. The project involves a coordinated evaluation effort. Front-end and formative evaluation activities are being conducted by Inverness Research Associates. Summative evaluation will be conducted by David Heil & Associates.