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COMMUNITY:
Project Descriptions

Outdoor Exploratorium: Experiments in Noticing and Understanding

September 1, 2001 - August 31, 2009 | Professional Development, Conferences, and Networks, Exhibitions
The Exploratorium will create the "Outdoor Exploratorium," a 10,000-square-foot, open-air exhibit environment comprising 20 to 25 original installations. Each exhibit will allow visitors to interact directly with a variety of elements, that is water, wind, sound, light, and living things, as they exist in the natural world. One of the key components of this project will be the use of "Noticing Tours." Led by staff scientists, artists, educators, exhibit developers, and other "expert noticers," the tours will initiate a dialogue with the visitors as a starting point for exhibit development. To augment visitor learning and unify the museum's entire collection, exhibit text will relate the "Outdoor Exploratorium" experiences to exhibits. The project will culminate in a workbook for the field and two workshops for museum professionals. The Exploratorium Teacher Institute staff will develop two-week institutes that make extensive use of the "Outdoor Exploratorium." Classroom activities and inquiry-based learning experiences will be developed based on the new exhibits.

Funders

NSF
Funding Program: ISE/AISL
Award Number: 0104478
Funding Amount: 1855212

TEAM MEMBERS

  • Peter Richards
    Principal Investigator
    Exploratorium
  • Thomas Humphrey
    Co-Principal Investigator
    Exploratorium
  • Thomas Rockwell
    Co-Principal Investigator
    Exploratorium
  • Theodore Koterwas
    Co-Principal Investigator
    Exploratorium
  • pencil 2019
    Co-Principal Investigator
    Exploratorium
  • Discipline: Ecology, forestry, and agriculture | Life science | Nature of science
    Audience: General Public | Educators/Teachers | Museum/ISE Professionals
    Environment Type: Professional Development, Conferences, and Networks | Professional Development and Workshops | Exhibitions | Museum and Science Center Exhibits | Parks, Outdoor, and Garden Exhibits

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