Over a three year period, the Museum of Science, Boston will develop a national traveling exhibition and associated programs that will support the goals and standards for technological literacy that were recently articulated in reports by the National Academy of Engineering and the International Technology Education Association. Intellectual Merit. The exhibit will take advantage of the widely known characters and images of future technology from the Star Wars movies to attract visitors and to engage them in learning about potential technologies that may impact our lives. It incorporates new and adapted interactive devices that will involve visitors in inquiry-based learning about technologies related to frictionless land vehicles, robotic mobility mechanisms, and habitats for living underwater and in space. Broader Impact. The exhibition will reach a large national audience by traveling to the members of the Science Museum Exhibit Collaborative as well as other institutions. Use of popular culture, science fiction and futuristic technology will help attract those who may not be traditional science center visitors. Educational impact will be extended through programming for the public and school groups, including materials for institutions that do not host the exhibition, along with a website.
Twin Cities Public Broadcasting is developing a two-hour prime time PBS television special on complementary advances in particle physics and cosmology. The program will present the dramatic recent history of the two disciplines, striking discoveries in both fields, and the cutting-edge research under way today. The format of the programs will be modeled on Michael Riordan's book, "The Hunting of the Quark," which presented a rich, personal story of working scientists with their struggles and their successes. The following activities are among those that will be conducted during the planning phase: 1. Develop strategic partnerships among the principal research institutions and organizations involved in physics/astronomy education 2. Develop detailed treatments of the television programs 3. Research sources for program graphics with universities, national laboratories, and other research institutions 4. Meet with the advisory board 5. Produce a video sampler from taped interviews of selected scientists Key staff with include: Richard Hudson, Director of Science Production at KTCA-TV; Les Guthman, Executive Producer and Vice President of Outside Television for S2 Media; and Michael Riordan, physicist, science historian, and author. Advisors for the project are: Donna Cox, National Center for Supercomputing Applications and School of Art and Design, University of Illinois; Peter Galison, Department of History of Science, Harvard University; Leon Lederman, Director Emeritus, Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory; Dennis Overbye, science writer; Randal Ruchti, Department of Physics, University of Notre Dame; George Smoot, Department of Physics, University of California, Berkeley; and Michael Turner, Department of Astronomy and Astrophysics, University of Chicago.
The Exploratorium requests $1,389,665 to develop "Live @ the Exploratorium: Origins." The Exploratorium will conduct a three-year pilot project to develop an experimental series of Webcasts, related Web-based resources, and museum activities . The project will use new communications technologies to create an ongoing link between Internet and museum audiences and current scientific research efforts at observatories around the world where scientists are investigating the origins of matter, the universe, the Earth, and life itself. The Exploratorium will establish a remote connection to six science research locations investigating particle physics, cosmology, polar research, earthquake research, astrobiology and genetics. During each live Webcast museum visitors and Internet visitors will be able to interact with scientists at the remote observatories.