Working in collaboration with biomedical researchers from universities in the San Francisco area, across the nation, and abroad, the Exploratorium proposes to develop a high-quality microscopic imaging station for use by museum visitors, students, teachers and Internet visitors. This facility will utilize the highest quality optics and state-of-the-art microscopic techniques including biological staining and sophisticated digital recording. A variety of living specimens fundamental to basic biology, human development, the human genome and health-related research will be displayed. The station will be the lively center of the life sciences' area at the Exploratorium, providing educational content, dramatic imagery and regular demonstrations to reach an audience which ranges from the mildly curious to research scientists. In addition, the Exploratorium will be the first public institution, outside of a few research laboratories, to present live microscopic specimens via video and the Internet in real time. (To date, remote microscopes have generally presented inanimate objects or fixed tissue.) In order to increase student accessibility, subject matter for the imaging station will be integrated into the ongoing middle and high school teacher professional development at the museum. Teachers will be able to use the imaging station to conduct their own experiments, develop classroom explorations, take away images, access the website in their classrooms, or share materials with other teachers.
The Self-Reliance Foundation (SRF) Conociendo Tu Cuerpo (Know Your Body) Hispanic Community Health Sciences Education project is an initiative designed to introduce Hispanic students and families to biomedical science and health education resources, and increase their participation levels in these fields. The educational goals of the project are to: (1) Encourage Hispanic undergraduate students to pursue careers in biomedicine and science through a mentoring program at the university level; (2) Inspire an interest in biomedical science among Hispanic elementary-age students and parents through community outreach activities; (3) Inform Hispanic parents about biomedical science education standards and academic requirements for pursuing biomedical and science related careers; and (4) Inform and inspire Hispanic students and their families about the biomedical sciences and related careers through a series of daily nationally broadcast Spanish-language radio capsules, and a nationally syndicated Spanish newspaper column. Conociendo Tu Cuerpo (Know Your Body) includes several key components: A model, Washington, D.C., area coalition of informal science, health, community, education, and media organizations that will publicize and provide hands-on health science activities at community festivals and other community settings; Hispanic undergraduate student health-science fellows to be trained and provided experience in facilitating health science activities; and nationally broadcast Spanish-language radio capsules that will cover topics in areas of biomedicine, research, education, and health-science careers. Parents and students will be able to access additional information about biomedical science opportunities and Hispanic role models in the biomedical sciences through the project's Conociendo Tu Cuerpo website and the bilingual 800 telephone help line promoted by 147 participating radio stations and 102 newspapers nationwide. The project will be supported at the national level through collaboration with the Hispanic Radio Network and the Pacific Science Center. The Washington, D.C., collaborative will include the Capital Children's Museum, local Spanish language radio stations, area universities, and health and community organizations. Development Associates, the largest American education and evaluation consulting corporation, will evaluate the project.
Adolescents face many conflicting messages and influences related to high-risk behavior. Choices confronting middle school students often have the potential for adverse effects on their overall health and well being. Montshire Museum proposes to develop an educational outreach program to allow students an opportunity to learn about key health issues in a context that is based on high-quality research and offers hands-on inquiry and self-directed investigations. The proposed educational outreach program will serve students in grades 5-8 in rural Vermont and New Hampshire schools. The project team will create four health education modules, each one related to current NIH-supported research by faculty at Dartmouth Medical School (DMS). DMS researchers will collaborate with Montshire Museum's science educators in developing the modules, connecting with students and teachers, and providing support for all aspects of the project. For each module, the project team will support hands-on classroom investigations and independent research using materials, objects and exhibits developed specifically for the program. In addition, professional development institutes for middle school health and science educators will provide science content and instructional strategies needed to successfully implement health science lessons that are aligned with national and state standards for health and science education. The curriculum materials developed for school-based programming also create opportunities for broader public outreach. Montshire's educators will adapt them for special family activities and presentations within the museum setting. The educational curriculum will be designed to provide all participants with information that will assist in making personal health decisions in the subject areas; raise participants' awareness of the ways that culture and media affect their choices; and expose participants to the interesting and relevant research taking place locally, while increasing their understanding of the diversity of health science careers and research processes. A thorough process of formative and summative evaluation will enable the project team to take an iterative approach to curriculum development and to provide the best possible learning experience for participants.
In this memo, we present a first version of the conceptual framework funded by the John D. and Catherine T. Macarthur Foundation. Our goal is to provide clarity around issues of scale and spread, and to develop a tool that can inform strategic thinking by members of the DML (Digital Media and Learning) community and the broader field. At the heart or the conceptual framework is a typology of conceptions of scale. Our interviews and literature review suggest that there are fundamentally different ways of conceptualizing the goals or outcomes of scale. We identify four: adoption, replication
DATE:
TEAM MEMBERS:
Cynthia CoburnAmy CattersonJenni HiggsKatie MertzRichard Morel
The long-term goal of this project is to expand and disseminate our innovative internship and near-peer mentoring models for minority youth and women in the biomedical sciences, thus increasing the number of minority students participating in the quantitative disciplines. Dissemination and expansion of the program will take place in three steps: (1) Within the national capital region through the Internet and cooperative arrangements with established educational initiatives within DCPS system; (2) For year 2, expand to one site outside the national capital area. The site would be for a group that had already begun to model its fledgling program on our STARS program, or one of the specific sites discussed in Aim 3. The likely site would be at Fort Monmouth, N.J., since Dr. Constella Zimmerman is planning to start a STARS initiative; and (3) Extend the program to specific sites within selected cities, and utilize current contacts in states that do not yet have a SEPA program to disseminate.
Found in gravesites. Buried in the backyard. Lurking and scaring neighbors at Halloween. The stuff of legendary Hollywood horror films. But, in reality, bones are so much more. They are the living, growing framework of life. Bone Zone, a dynamic traveling exhibit to be developed by the Children's Museum of Indianapolis, will let visitors explore the mystery inside the body so long hidden by skin, fur or other outside covering. By capitalizing on the fact that visitors bring a portion of the exhibit into the gallery with them (their own bones), these visitors will learn that they too have bones and that their bones live and grow along with them. A great need for this type of exhibit exists because most people do not identify the skeleton as one of the body's major functioning systems. The cardiovascular and respiratory systems are most commonly cited. However, the skeletal system provides key functions. Visitors will learn the key functions this system fulfills as well as learn that bones are alive - most youth have the misconception that their bones are dead. The exhibit will showcase myriad human and animal bone scenarios in well-developed contexts that will help visitors understand the information presented. Interactive, hands-on activities will be highlighted in Bone Zone. Visitors will see the skeletons of other animals, and play a game where they learn the difference between bone and pseudo-bones, such as scales. In another area, visitors will observe bone cells in a microscope, see a large-scale depiction of a bone, and watch the bone cells at "work." The exciting and innovative 5,000-square-foot exhibit will be showcased at the museum beginning in 2001. The goals of the Bone Zone project are to (1) Develop an interactive, traveling exhibit about bones to promote an understanding of the skeletal system and bone-related diseases among children and the public; (2) Develop curriculum materials and workshops for teachers; and (3) Stimulate interest in health science careers.
The Maryland Science Center, in cooperation with the Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions (JHMI) and the University of Maryland, Baltimore, developed and produced BodyLink, a unique health sciences update center. The group did so with support from the National Institutes of Health SEPA (Science Education Partnership Award) Program, BodyLink, which is modeled after the Maryland Science Center's praised SpaceLink space science update center, will make today's medical and health news clear and relevant for visitors, young and old. Science and technology centers have long struggled with ways to acquaint visitors with the latest and greatest discoveries in health and biomedical science, and to interpret the significance of these findings for all ages. Museums can no longer be content with presenting only basic science, and need to expand their role as public communicators of science by presenting cutting-edge research, and by interpreting and explaining this information for visitors. BodyLink is a 1,500-square foot multimedia center where visitors can discover and appreciate the wonders of cutting-edge medical research (basic research, as well as clinical research) through interactive exhibits, stunning imagery, and facilitated demonstrations in a multimedia driven programmable space. BodyLink also includes WetLab, an open-access microbiology laboratory facility that allows visitors to conduct scientific investigations using state-of-the art research technology. Visitors can extract DNA from wheat germ, test common anti-microbial products on live bacteria, and learn Gram staining techniques, among other activities. Bodying will further serve school groups, general museum visitors, and remote-learning participants through the interactive website. BodyLink also incorporates an internship program for graduate students from the Maryland Science Center's collaborating universities. These internships give the graduate students an opportunity to interact with the general public to enhance their scientific communication skills and give them first-hand experience with investigating public understanding of scientific research.
The Miami Museum of Science, in collaboration with University of Miami's (UM) School of Medicine, is requesting a Phase II grant to support national replication of the Biomedical Training, Research and College Prep (BioTrac) Project. The goal of Phase I, now in its final year of funding, was to develop a replicable model aimed at increasing the numbers of underserved students entering the biomedical research pipeline. Phase I focused on priority areas under Healthy People 2000 reflecting health issues of interest to the community as well as resources available through UM's Jackson Memorial Medical Center. Comprising hands-on project-based programming, career awareness activities, college prep, research internships and college residential experiences, the project has served 98 students to date, of whom 88% are low-income and 96% reside in homes where English is the second language. Of the 43 seniors who have graduated to date, 42 are enrolled in post-secondary studies. Of these, 52% have chosen a science-related major, and of these, 73% have chosen a biomedical course of study. Under the proposed Phase II project, the useum will establish BioTrac as a national demonstration site, extending BioTrac strategies and materials to formal and informal science institutions (ISis) through site-based institutes, distance-learning opportunities and professional conferences and publications. Continued delivery of BioTrac programming at the demonstration site will also further increase the number of underrepresented students entering the biomedical research pipeline, and allow for further programming aimed at increasing public understanding of Healthy People 2010 priorities and biomedical research. The museum will target ISis with youth programs to attend a three-day replication institute, reaching a minimum of 30 ISis during the grant. Through participation in national conferences and professional development sponsored by the Association of Science-Technology Centers, representng 340 ISis, the model has the capacity to impact small, medium, and large science centers nationwide. The model will also be adaptable for use by the other 123 Upward Bound Math & Science Centers engaged in science enrichment programming for underserved youth. Finally, elements of the model will be suitable for extracurricular school-based science clubs and high school magnet programs focused on biomedicine, further extending the potential impact of the model to school districts nationwide.
Individuals are at an increased risk to drop out of the STEM pipeline if they are female or Latino, and during certain periods including high school. Families are a potential untapped resource of support for high school students. Based on the expectancy-value model, we examined if a variety of parental behaviors predicted students’ ability self-concepts in and value they placed on biology, chemistry, and physics. Self-report surveys were collected from 988 9th grade Latino boys, Latina girls, Caucasian boys, and Caucasian girls. The findings suggest that, as early as the beginning of high
Understanding a community's concerns and informational needs is crucial to conducting and improving environmental health research and literacy initiatives. We hypothesized that analysis of community inquiries over time at a legacy mining site would be an effective method for assessing environmental health literacy efforts and determining whether community concerns were thoroughly addressed. Through a qualitative analysis, we determined community concerns at the time of being listed as a Superfund site. We analyzed how community concerns changed from this starting point over the subsequent
A research project that is only expert-driven may ignore the role of local knowledge in research, often gives low priority to the development of a comprehensive communication strategy to engage the community, and may not deliver the results of the study to the community in an effective way. Objective: To demonstrate how a research program can respond to a community research need, establish a community-academic partnership, and build a co-created citizen science program. Methods: A place-based, community-driven project was designed where academics and community members maintained a reciprocal
DATE:
TEAM MEMBERS:
Univeristy of Wisconsin- StoutMonica Ramirez-AndreottaMark BrusseauJanick ArtiolaRaina MaierA Jay Gandolfi
BioTrac will expand opportunities in biomedicine for low-income, first-generation college-bound high school students, increasing the number interested in, and prepared to enter, the biomedical research pipeline. Specific objectives are to: (1) Raise awareness of careers in biomedicine and provide students with real-world biomedical research experiences; (2) Increase awareness of requirements and opportunities for related post-secondary study; (3) Increase public understanding of the importance and diversity of biomedical research; and (4) Disseminate project outcomes. In collaboration with the University of Miami (UM) and Miami-Dade County Public Schools (M-DCPS), the Museum will design and implement a replicable model program exposing students to research on selected priority areas outlined in the Public Health Service's Healthy People 2000 agenda. The program will focus on areas with significant local research capacity, ties to local growth industries, and relevance to Miami-Dade's diverse communities. Students will investigate each area through hands-on lab activities, on-line research, site visits to research facilities, and through interactions with research scientists at UM's nationally renowned Jackson Memorial Medical Complex. Students will work in teams to conduct community-focused research on aspects of each priority area, using technology skills acquired as part of the program to document their research through digital video, PowerPoint presentations, and development of a BioTrac website. Students will present their research at annual symposia held at the Museum. They will also serve as science explainers in the Museum's galleries, interpreting biomedical-related exhibits to the general public. During the summer before 12th grade, students will attend residential programs at University of Florida and Florida A&M University, gaining exposure to post-secondary programs leading to careers in biomedical research. Students in 11th and 12th grade will also be encouraged to participate in M-DCPS's Advanced Academic Internship Program, gaining up to three honors credits for work in institutions engaged in biomedical research. Following 12th grade, prior to beginning college, students will be placed in an eight-week summer internships at UM labs engaged in a broad spectrum of biomedical research. The Museum will disseminate students' research experiences and project findings through an BioTrac web page, ASTC and Upward Bound conferences and networks, and Museum and UM publications.