This report evaluates the nanotechnology-related presentations delivered at the Museum of Science, Boston, in an effort to more effectively educate the public. Interview questions used in this study are included in the appendix of this report.
A series of interview studies was conducted to determine how museum visitors interpret scale ladders that focus on the nanoscale. These studies look at different versions of an example scale ladder in order to: a.) Iteratively develop a scale ladder that may be used by other informal science institutions. b.) Formulate guidelines to inform the design and use of other scale ladders. Interview questions used for studies 1-3 are included in the appendix of this report.
This report documents a study conducted at the Exploratorium to characterize how visitors depict the concept of small. The study looks at visitors’ drawings in order to inform the design of diagrams, animations and other visualizations that help the public visualize and learn about the nanoscale in informal learning environments.
This front-end study was conducted to gauge the visiting public’s interpretation of scientific images of the nanoscale. The interview questions used during this study are included in the appendix of this report.
The 2010 Delivery and Reach study documented the delivery of nano education activities at NISE Network partner institutions and estimated the public reach of those activities. Surveys used in this study are included in the appendix of this report.
The Review of NISE Network Evaluation Findings: Years 1-5 seeks to investigate the work of the NISE Network since its inception in 2005 and provide an overarching summary of NISE Net Public Impacts evaluation efforts to the NISE Network and the broader ISE field.
Summative evaluation of four programs created by the NISE Network. The survey instrument used in this study is included in the appendix of this report.
This study looks specifically at the activities of the Tier I, II and III institutions as a way of determining whether it is likely that NISE Net will have an impact on the public through the NSET public outreach activities of those institutions. The main question driving this study is the following: To what extent is NISE Net reaching the public through the different tiers of the Network? This study presents preliminary findings from the Study 2 investigation, looking specifically at the actions of the professionals who have come into contact with NISE Net (including those who have attended
The Nanoawareness Study is designed to answer the question "What, if any, impact do NISE Net activities delivered at Tier 1 and Tier 2 institutions have on the nanoawareness of the public audiences that experience those activities?" The Nanoawareness Study was initially conducted in Year 3 and then replicated in Year 4 with some methodological changes and a different sample of participants. The following report describes the Nanoawareness Study findings from Year 4 in comparison to findings from Year 3. This appendix of this report includes the online survey instrument used in the study.
The documents that comprise the Inverness Research Summative Report provide a comprehensive and systematic review of the progress made in developing a network organization capable of supporting nanoscience education for the public on a national scale.
This 2009 summative evaluation of nanotechnology news segments produced by the Museum of Science utilized a post-only, double-blind, randomly-assigned treatment and control group experiment methodology.
In this article, Wendy Pollock, ASTC's Director of Research, Publications, and Exhibitions, and J. Shipley Newlin, Program Director for Physical Sciences at the Science Museum of Minnesota (SMM), discuss "Wild Music: Sounds & Songs of Life," an exhibit produced by a partnership between ASTC, SMM, and the Music Research Institute at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. The unique design approach incorporated sound experiences for a wider range of users, including visitors who are blind or have low vision, as well as created an overall sound environment that was meaningful and