Face-to-face conversations between scientists and public audiences in an informal learning environment provide a valuable opportunity to support public engagement with scientific research. These types of experiences have significant benefits for members of the public and for scientists. For public audiences, interacting face-to-face with a scientist can expand awareness of the range of careers in science, spark new questions about scientific topics, and increase interest in learning more about the scientist’s topic (Tisdal, 2011; Ong, 2014). Scientists, too, are positively impacted by this
This is the second of a 2-part series about the changes that have taken place in how public libraries adapted to COVID-19. Part 1 focused on what libraries were doing prior to pandemic, the challenges that they faced due to COVID-19, and how they pivoted to a “new normal”. Part 2 focuses on innovations in programming and professional development that have helped to strengthen the library profession during the pandemic.
With support from the Moore Foundation, Google, NASA, and the Research Corporation, we were able to distribute 2.1 million eclipse glasses (and an extensive booklet of eclipse information and outreach ideas) to approximately 7,100 public, school, tribal and military libraries throughout the U.S. This project was the single largest program to provide glasses and eclipse information to the public in the country for the 2017 total eclipse. The project used (and significantly enhanced) the existing STAR Library Network, set up and maintained by the National Center for Interactive Learning at the
The STAR Library Network (STAR Net) utilizes webinars as a key tool in its suite of professional learning opportunities relating to STEM learning in libraries. Traditionally, continuing education for library staff has taken place in person, such as at conferences and workshops. While these touch points provide crucial face-to-face networking opportunities, highly interactive webinars provide learning conversations that help bridge the gap between frameworks and resources to practical application in daily practice. Through webinars, STAR Net shares ideas, demonstrates activities, and engages
Children and their families are practicing STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Math) skills through a library program. Hand-crank generators and LED bulbs are set out on each of the tables, along with two types of dough—conductive play dough and insulating modeling clay.
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TEAM MEMBERS:
Brooks MitchellClaire RatcliffeKeliann LaConte
As public libraries continue to evolve, library staff seek to expand their STEM facilitation skills and knowledge. “NASA STEM Workshops” prepared 363 attendees to facilitate space-themed programs. External evaluation found that months later, attendees facilitated more STEM programming, became more confident and aware of STEM resources, and shared these resources with others. The professional development model demonstrated the importance of (1) practical, hands-on experiences to cultivate internal confidence and interest in facilitating STEM activities, and (2) increased attention to external
NASA@ My Library is made possible through the support of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Science Mission Directorate as part of its Science Activation program. The project is led by the National Center for Interactive Learning (NCIL) at the Space Science Institute (SSI) in partnership with the American Library Association (ALA) Public Programs Office, Lunar and Planetary Institute (LPI), and Education Development Center (EDC). From 2016-2020, 78 public libraries (75 partner libraries and 3 pilot libraries), 18 State Library Agencies, 6 Portal to the Public Network sites, and 30 NASA-funded scientists participated in the project. More than 225,000 library patrons were reached through their efforts.
In 2021-2022, public libraries, universities, and state library agencies will participate in the project to increase and enhance STEAM learning opportunities in their communities, with an emphasis on reaching audiences underrepresented in STEM education and professions.
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 is a poster created for the 2019 annual meeting of the American Geophysical Union. Below is the accepted abstract of the poster:
The Long Term Ecological Research (LTER) network spans 28 sites across North America and beyond. Here we share work from two LTER sites in the northeastern US—the Harvard Forest, MA and the Hubbard Brook Experimental Forest, NH—where boundary organizations have been developing a framework for embedding effective public engagement and knowledge co-production into these long-term studies. Here we share this framework and how it has been developed and applied in
Astronomy has been an inherently visual area of science for millenia, yet a majority of its significant discoveries take place in wavelengths beyond human vision. There are many people, including those with low or no vision, who cannot participate fully in such discoveries if visual media is the primary communication mechanism. Numerous efforts have worked to address equity of accessibility to such knowledge sharing, such as through the creation of three-dimensional (3D) printed data sets. This paper describes progress made through technological and programmatic developments in tactile 3D
This critical discourse analysis examined climate change denial books intended for children and parents as examples of pseudo-educational materials reproduced within the conservative echo chamber in the United States. Guided by previous excavations in climate change denial discourses, we identified different types of skepticism, policy frames, contested scientific knowledge, and uncertainty appeals. Findings identify the ways these children's books introduced a logic of non-problematicity about environmental problems bolstered by contradictory forms of climate change skepticism and polarizing
Knowing how specific publics understand and experience science is crucial for both researchers and practitioners. As learning and meaning-making develop over time, depending on a combination of factors, creative possibilities to analyze those processes are needed to improve evaluation of science communication practices. We examine how first grade children's drawings expressed their perceptions of the Sun and explore their views of a major astronomical body within their social, cultural and personal worlds. We then examine how the observation of the Sun through a telescope led to changes in
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TEAM MEMBERS:
Sara AnjosAlexandre AibéoAnabela Carvalho