Poster presentation from the 2020 Association of Science and Technology Centers Annual Conference.
This poster presented preliminary findings from a configurative literature synthesis on how the literature posted on the InformalScience.org website, in peer-reviewed journals, and in the ProQuest archive of Theses and Dissertations report about how informal learning institutions are advancing the use of STEM knowledge and scientific reasoning in the ways that can help individuals and communities address the societal challenges of our time?
This commentary aims to shed light on the neglected space of queer people in science communication. In this piece, we introduce queer theory to science communication literature to examine issues from the past, present, and future. We argue that to queer our field may entail a radical interrogation of some of science communication's deeply rooted cultural traits and working towards a rainbow-tinted future.
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TEAM MEMBERS:
Tara RobersonLindy Orthia
resourceresearchProfessional Development, Conferences, and Networks
A survey-based needs assessment at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, a research- intensive land grant university, explored ways to meet the goal of increasing science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) outreach. 40% of surveyed faculty reported barriers to doing STEM outreach. Over 50% of faculty reported an inability to individually resolve barriers to STEM outreach in ways that ensure broader community engagement in their research through outreach. Using a Sociological lens, the current study examined institutional-level barriers and enablers to faculty engaging in outreach
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TEAM MEMBERS:
Kiyomi DeardsSaundra FrerichsPatricia Wonch HillJulia McQuillan
This book chapter describes zoo and aquariums' history of conservation education programming for students and teachers. It showcases several examples of student-teacher-scientist partnerships, including Project TRUE, highlighting the program's success at cultivating sustained interest in science careers among high school youth.
Zoos and aquariums have a long history of providing conservation education to students and teachers. As the conservation work of zoos and aquariums has grown, so have the opportunities to connect students and teachers to the work of these scientists. This chapter
Do you want to implement projects and develop strong collaborations in diverse or “underserved” communities? This workbook is a product of research conducted by community-based organizations and the Cornell Lab of Ornithology over three years, focused on how to create equitable partnerships between informal science institutions and community-based organizations in underrepresented communities. The objective is to improve equity, diversity, and inclusion in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics). The research comes from questions asked by community researchers to more than 30
Play serves an important function in early childhood, and more specifically, play in nature provides an optimal venue for holistic development. Teachers play a critical role in providing and protecting these experiences for young children. This study aimed to understand and make more explicit the perceived benefits of a nature playscape from the perspective of teachers. Participants in this phenomenological study were preschool teachers at an urban Midwestern university early childhood laboratory school (n=13). Surveys and interviews were used to answer the central research question: What
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TEAM MEMBERS:
Sue SchlembachLeslie KochanowskiRhonda BrownVictoria Carr
The Discovery Center for Evaluation, Research, and Professional Learning (Discovery Center) served as external evaluator for the STEM in the PlayScape project. The broad purpose of the evaluation was to provide annual feedback and a final summative assessment of the project’s ability to meet its stated objectives. Project objectives were to:
Create early childhood digital modules to promote STEM learning on playscapes.
Investigate the impact of trained teachers on children’s STEM learning on playscapes.
Investigate what critical elements of playscapes are portable and adaptable to
The Practitioners and Researchers Investigating Sensorimotor Movement (PRISM) Toolkit provides a suite of observation tools for identifying and categorizing gestures, movement, and speech for interactive museum exhibits (espeically those that involve full-body interactions). The tools can be used live in some settings when appropriate, but also can be used on video recordings of exhibit interactions.
This Masters project consists of two elements: 1) an integrated after-school program to improve student English language reading and academic outcomes for third graders' vocabulary development by incorporating music, artistic creativity and linguistics; 2) a pilot sample curriculum that demonstrates the approach for building student comprehension through musical theater and Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) content experiences. Called "Water Buddy", this is an after-school program uses singing, dancing, writing, and play to build reading and vocabulary skills. The goal
This project is a Smart and Connected Communities award. The community is part of Evanston, Illinois and is composed of the lead partners described below:
EvanSTEM which is a in-school/out of school time (OST) program to improve access and engagement for students in Evanston who have underperformed or been underrepresented in STEM.
McGaw YMCA which consists of 12,000 families serving 20,000 individuals and supporting technology and makerspace activities (MetaMedia) in a safe community atmosphere.
Office of Community Education Partnerships (OCEP) at Northwestern University which provides support for the university and community to collaborate on research, teaching, and service initiatives.
This partnership will develop a new approach to learning enagement through the STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics) interests of all young people in Evanston. This project is entitled Interests for All (I4All) and builds upon existing research results of the two Principal Investigators (PIs) and previous partnerships between the lead partners (EvanSTEM and MetaMedia had OCEP as a founding partner). I4All also brings together Evanston school districts, OST prividers, the city, and Evanston's Northwestern University as participants.
In particular the project builds on PI Pinkard's Cities of Learning project and co-PI Stevens' FUSE Studios project. Both of these projects have explicit goals to broaden participation in STEAM pursuits, a goal that is significantly advanced through I4All. In this project, I4All infrastructure will be evaluated using quantitative metrics that will tell the researchers whether and to what degree Evanston youth are finding and developing their STEAM interests and whether the I4All infrastructure supports a significantly more equitable distribution of opportunities to youth. The researchers will also conduct in depth qualitative case studies of youth interest development. These longitudinal studies will complement the quantitative metrics of participation and give measures that will be used in informing changes in I4All as part of the PIs Design Based Implementation Research approach. The artifacts produced in I4All include FUSE studio projects, software infrastructure to guide the students through OST and in-school activities and to provide to the students actionable information as to logistics for participation in I4All activities, and data that will be available to all stakeholders to evaluate the effectiveness of I4All. Additionally, this research has the potential to provide for scaling this model to different communities, leveraging the OST network in one community to begin to offer professional development more widely throughout the school districts and as an exemplar for other districts. These research results could also affect strategies and policies created by local school officials and community organizations regarding how to work together to create local learning environments to create an ecosystem where formal and informal learning spaces support and reinforce STEAM knowledge.
This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.
Production of an augmented reality app for the Cahokia Mounds historic site and a complementary website.
This project is to produce an augmented reality application for Cahokia Mounds State Historic Site. This experience will enable visitors to see structures, people, and other features of this ancient site through the lens of their smartphone or tablet. There will be extra audio and vision opportunities loaded to the experience as well as a complementary website. The website will include curriculum for school use. Cahokia Mounds State Historic Site is a UNESCO World Heritage and US National Historic Landmark. This project will greatly enhance the visitor's experience and bring awareness of the site.
Implementation of a permanent exhibit and supporting programs exploring themes of labor, immigration, and the changing nature of work and community in New Bedford’s commercial fishing industry.
To produce "More Than a Job: Work and Community in New Bedford’s Commercial Fishing Industry," a permanent exhibit, digital exhibits, K-12 curriculum materials, and significant public programming exploring themes of labor and immigration, and the changing nature of work and community in New Bedford's commercial fishing industry.