Reflections from a researcher and caregiver on the process of working together on a study examining strategies to communicate the relevance of engineering practices at exhibits.
This guide shares some of the successes and challenges behind the Science Museum of Minnesota’s Cardboard City exhibition and our partnership with museums across the country through Cardboard Collaborative.
The Cardboard Collaborative is the product of 10 years of work at the Science Museum of Minnesota and part of a larger collaboration with local community organizations to center BIPOC family priorities and experiences. This guide is intended to share what they have learned and support others to create their own cardboard maker worlds.
This analysis examines how assembly-style making activities support creative expression and early engineering learning. We suggest makerspace designers and educators consider include assembly-style making activities in the mix of options available to support makers who are less comfortable with making initially.
The "Exhibit appraisal and diverse populations: Pilot research about intersectional and science identities in science exhibits" (APPRAISE) project team worked extensively with minoritized youth between the ages of 9 and 17, including youth of color, girls and non-binary youth, and youth with disabilities, to create a research protocol
The "Exhibit appraisal and diverse populations: Pilot research about intersectional and science identities in science exhibits" (APPRAISE) project team worked extensively with minoritized youth between the ages of 9 and 17, including youth of color, girls and non-binary youth, and youth with disabilities, to create a research protocol
The Ka Makaiwa: Strengthening Digital Access for Native Hawaiian Futures project will develop an approach to producing online exhibits and related programming for the Bishop Museum. The project will address barriers to physical access to collections expected to continue beyond the pandemic by expanding access to information by developing a high-quality, thoughtfully designed, and user-friendly online exhibit platform. The museum will capture photographs, video footage, and other content from the (Re)Generations: Challenging Scientific Racism in Hawaii exhibition, which explores racism and bias in scientific research while celebrating Native Hawaiian voices and collaborative endeavors. The project team will test a beta version internally and conduct a thorough internal review before launching the online exhibit publicly.
The Institute for Native Pacific Education and Culture will address low science and math proficiency achievement rates for Native Hawaiian students by designing more relevant STEM learning activities. The INPEACE Indigenous Science Center’s Mahina Exhibit Project will create three exhibit designs with learning objectives targeted for students ages 4-14. Focused on the Mahina (moon), the exhibits and related activities will be designed to be enjoyable and thought-provoking for Native Hawaiian communities to engage in STEM learning through a framework that is familiar. Through consultation with experienced exhibit designers, the science center’s staff will gain a stronger understanding of best practices in exhibit design, and indigenous communities will benefit from approaches that translate their own histories into relevant and fun STEM learning experiences.