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resource research Public Programs
The Museum Experience is the first book to take the "visitor's eye view" of the museum visit. It integrates the authors' original research with that from a wide variety of disciplines as well as museum and visitor studies ranging from science centers and zoos to art and natural history museums. Written in clear, non-technical style, The Museum Experience gives museum professionals a thorough introduction to what is known about why people go to museums, what they do there, and what they learn. This book is an essential reference for all museum professionals concerned with communicating with the
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resource research Media and Technology
Most environmental learning takes place outside of the formal education system, but our understanding of how this learning actually occurs is in its infancy. By surfing the internet, watching nature documentaries, and visiting parks, forests, marine sanctuaries, and zoos, people make active choices to learn about various aspects of their environment every day. Free-Choice Learning and the Environment explores the theoretical foundations of free-choice environmental education, the practical implications for applying theory to the education of learners of all ages, and the policy implications
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resource research Public Programs
Zoos, aquariums and ecotourism experiences have the potential to positively impact visitors’ awareness, appreciation and actions in relation to the wildlife they encounter and the environment in general. This paper presents findings from a three-year study of the impacts of wildlife tourism experiences on visitors’ environmental learning.
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TEAM MEMBERS: Jan Packer Roy Ballantyne John H Falk
resource evaluation Exhibitions
This report presents the findings from a front-end evaluation prior to a renovation of the harbor seal habitat at the Seattle Aquarium. The study was undertaken to help Seattle Aquarium staff measure visitor knowledge of harbor seals, as well as illustrate visitor use of the current exhibit space. The intent was to inform the content of exhibit interpretive materials as well as provide a baseline for a summative study evaluating the success of changes made to the exhibit. Methodology Data was collected in February 2012 by a team of 10 first-year graduate student data collectors along with the
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TEAM MEMBERS: Katie Phelps Chris Cadenhead Seattle Aquarium
resource evaluation Exhibitions
The Seattle Aquarium seeks to discover how toddler families experience its exhibits and how to best incorporate toddler family needs in future exhibit developments. The goal of this study is to begin to document toddler-exhibit interactions in order to better understand the Aquarium experience for that audience. The specific research goal was to determine which exhibit elements are attracting and holding the attention of the toddler family audience. A total of 47 caregiver interviews and 297 toddler observations across three exhibit areas were collected from January-March 2011 at the Seattle
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TEAM MEMBERS: Andrea Barber Kaleen Povis Seattle Aquarium
resource evaluation Exhibitions
Evaluation of the impact of a major redevelopment of the zoo's existing African Savanna Exhibit. A major focus of the evaluation was assessing the effectiveness of a new "cultural interpreter" program.
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TEAM MEMBERS: Kathryn Owen
resource research Aquarium and Zoo Exhibits
Poster on the National Network for Ocean and Climate Change Interpretation from the 2012 ISE PI Meeting.
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TEAM MEMBERS: William Spitzer
resource research Park, Outdoor, and Garden Programs
Poster on NSF grant DRL-1114335 (""Collaborative Research: Research: Zoo And Aquarium Action Research Collaborative (ZAARC)"") presented at the 2012 ISE PI Meeting.
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resource research Museum and Science Center Programs
Presentation on NSF grant DRL-1010938 (Saving Species: Socially-Networked Exhibits for Science Inquiry and Public Action) presented at the CAISE Convening on Sustainability Science and Informal Science Education, February 6th, 2012.
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TEAM MEMBERS: Christopher Myers
resource research Museum and Science Center Programs
Presentation on NSF grant DRL-0610409 (Wild Research: A Whole-Zoo Exhibit and Inquiry Program) presented at the CAISE Convening on Sustainability Science and Informal Science Education, February 6th, 2012.
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TEAM MEMBERS: Christopher Myers
resource research Public Programs
Presentation on NSF grant DRL-0840230 (""Communities of Learning for Urban Environments"") presented at the CAISE Convening on Organizational Networks, November 17th, 2011.
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TEAM MEMBERS: ANGELA WENGER
resource research Aquarium and Zoo Exhibits
To find out if zoos and aquariums successfully promote conservation, the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) formed strategic partnerships and undertook a three-year, nationwide study of the impacts of a visit to a zoo or aquarium. We found that going to AZA accredited zoos and aquariums in North America does have a measurable impact on the conservation attitudes and understanding of adult visitors.
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TEAM MEMBERS: John H Falk Eric Reinhard Cynthia Vernon Kerry Bronnenkant Joe E Heimlich Nora Deans