Talk of the Nation: Science Friday is a weekly two-hour science talk show hosted by science correspondent Ira Flatow. This summative evaluation implemented by Multimedia Research involved collecting information via a two-sided one-page mailed survey to minority and white scientists in virtually all of Science Friday's broadcast areas in the lower 48 states. Data were collected from September to June, 1999-2000. The main thrust of this evaluation was to explore possible differences in the way ethnic groups (white, black, Spanish-origin) respond to Science Friday. Scientists were chosen as
Treasuring our Natural Heritage: Natural History and Environmental Science Education is a multifaceted project that will be developed by the Idaho Museum of Natural History. Their goal is to heighten an understanding of issues surrounding the concept of biodiversity among the general public. By using the metaphor " the economy of nature," they will present three concepts: biodiversity which will include the idea of keystone species, natural capital, and extinction debt & conservation biology. This approach and the use of this metaphor is based on pre-exhibit research work that demonstrated that rural Idahoans understand this as a system of exchange, where each species holds a different 'occupation' and a variety of occupations is critical to the health of the economy. This project will bring participants in touch with the value of scientific research through presentations by scientists whose recent research results will provide a deeper understanding of the living systems around them. Views of elders from Idaho's Native American tribes will be included to add a critical human dimension. With this award they will develop a series of three small traveling exhibits, three-part educational video series for public broadcasting, and three multimedia science kits for use by children's groups on each of the three concepts noted above. With this multifaceted design it is anticipated that this program will reach 50% of Idaho's 1.2 million people. It is anticipated that the exhibits will become generally available once they have completed their circulation in Idaho.
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TEAM MEMBERS:
Stefan SommerAllen JacksonAmy LaffertyAndrew GibbonsAlbert Strickland
Chocolate! is a travelling 4,500 sq. ft. exhibit developed and produced by the Field Museum of Chicago. The visitor is invited on a journey through time, where they can explore the interactions between humans and ecosystems, and discover how cultures have shaped -- and have been shaped by -- this gift of nature, chocolate. The exhibition and its associated programs will promote awareness of the process natural products undergo as they are integrated into our lives, and will encourage the visitor to question how cultural traditions, people, and the environment are intertwined. The exhibition consists of four (4) areas. Exploring the cacao tree (Threobroma cacao) beginning with its ecological requirements (Bounty from Nature's Garden), its practical and ritual use by Mesoamerican societies (Food of the Gods), its introduction to Europe several hundred years ago (Bitter Seeds of Sweet Success), and finally its important role in international markets today (Where Money Grows on Trees) will all be highlighted. Throughout the entire exhibition, connections between natural ecosystems and human cultures will be reinforced within the context of contemporary conservation issues. The "Chocolate!" exhibition and programs will tour North America, coordinated by SITES and reaching 1,000,000 visitors over three (3) years. In addition, a website will ensure long-term public and classroom access to the educational materials related to cacao and chocolate.
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TEAM MEMBERS:
Anamari GolfM. Frances Muraski-Stotz
The Wildlife Conservation Society will develop "Congo Gorilla Forest." This will be a 6.5 acre outdoor exhibit that will provide visitors with a realistic trip through a living Congo Ecosystem, ending in an arms-length observation of a colony of 30 Lowland Gorillas living in a natural setting. The science presented in this exhibit is based on much of the seminal research that has been carried out on the Congo Forest environment by scientists at the Zoo. During their trip visitors will be able to explore and develop their own insights into this dynamic ecosystem and at the end will be drawn into difficult conservation issues. The exhibit will include the Rain Forest Trail, Living Treasures of the Congo Gallery, Conservation Showcase and Theater, Great Apes Gallery, and the Conservation Choices Pavilion. In addition there will be a menu of complementary formal education materials to include parent workshops, teacher training activities, and instructional materials. Linkages have been made with the New York Urban Systemic Initiative and the formal education programs will complement the goals of this systemic initiative. Given the Zoo's location in the Bronx, given the Zoo's reputation as a leader in wildlife conservation, and given the Zoo's renewed commitment to quality visitor experience and learning activities, this exhibit will break new ground in the exhibition of animals and informal learning activities of visitors. It will have an impact on zoos throughout the world. They anticipate 750,000 visitors annually for the Congo Gorilla Forest.
The New England Aquarium (NEAq) will develop a traveling exhibit and associated programs to focus on parallel scientific and environmental issues facing Lake Victoria (East Africa) and North American fisheries. The NEAq is working in partnership with the national Museums of Kenya (NMK). This project results from NSF supported research on Lake Victoria biodiversity crises and a workshop that involved 70 scientists, policymakers, and resource managers. A 5,000 sq. ft. exhibit "Lake Victoria: Mukasa's Tear" will be developed that will present both the Lake Victoria and North American fisheries issues in six modules including: Biodiversity Then and Now; Changing Life Styles; Lake Victoria Timelines; Fisheries Technology; Global Markets; and Towards the Future. Complementary educational programs will include on-site interpretation, special programs for K-12 classes, teacher workshops and curriculum materials, special events. The exhibit will open at NEAq in 1998 and will begin its national tour in 1999. A second version of the exhibit (which will be funded separately), will be shown in Kenya.
WGBH Educational Foundation is producing a four-hour documentary special, "Fire," to be broadcast as a NOVA special. The series will present the story of fire as an important but often overlooked key to understanding the natural world and our shared environmental history. Humans have used fire in virtually every aspect of our existence: for heat and light, as a tool and a source of power, for the private rituals of spiritual life and the monumental reshaping of entire landscapes. Fire acts as a significant agent of change in our world today, and the interaction of fire and humans is now acknowledged as a significant part of global climate change research and of biodiversity and ecosystem health studies. Fire will examine these and other powerful and fundamental scientific questions related to fire being explored today. The project will integrate fire history with an understanding of the scientific principles of fire chemistry and behavior, and it will link that knowledge with ecology, agriculture, forestry and resource management. An integrated outreach campaign will accompany the television series. It will be built around a resource kit, offered in both print and CD-ROM formats, with activities and other resources for families and youth organizations at the late elementary and early middle school level. There also will be special web pages within NOVA's award-winning web site that will include the "Fire" resource kit materials. The PI and Series Producer will be Judith Vecchione whose credits include the NSF-supported series on women scientists today, "Discovering Women." Paula Apsell, Executive Producer for NOVA, will be Executive-in-Charge. The Film Director will be Kirk Wolfinger whose prior NOVA productions include "Submarine!," "Titanic's Lost Sister," "Daredevils of the Sky," and "To the Moon." The Series Senior Advisor is Stephen J. Pyne, Professor of History at Arizona State University. Dr. Pyne is an environmental historian and author of the five-book "Cycle of Fire" suite. Other advisors include: Norman L. Christensen, Dean of the Nicholas School of Environment at Duke University; Johann Georg Goldammer, Senior Scientist and leader of the Fire Ecology and Biomass Burning Research Groups of the Max Planck Institute for Chemistry; Robert Huggins, Servicewide Education Coordinator for the National Park Service; Elizabeth A. Povinelli, Associate Professor of Anthropology at the University of Chicago; Marcella Russell, Regional Liaison for the Massachusetts Parent Involvement Project; and Brian Stocks, Senior Fire Research Scientist at the Canadian Forest Service.
Kansas State University is producing a two-hour television documentary on the Tallgrass Prairie of the Flint Hills of Kansas, the last remnant of what was once the largest biome in North America. This area has survived only because its rocky soil was too much of a match for the farmer's plow. New scientific research is now beginning to ascertain just how valuable grasslands are to humankind: their salutary role in global climatology and how they provide laboratories for study of soils, species interactions, biodiversity, and ecological processes. A significant amount of this research as been conducted for more than twenty years at the Konza Prairie Research Natural Area, the longest continuous Long-Term Ecological Research site of the National Science Foundation. The scientific data that have been compiled at Konza will form the backbone of the film's content as it examines: the geological and human history of the Tallgrass Prairie, especially the displacement of the bison and the introduction of European cattle and row crop farming; the contemporary culture and economy of the Flint Hills regions which the prairie has formed; and the ecological impact of various approaches to range management, as well as various scientific and social aspects of the debate over how to glean as much value as possible from the grasslands while preserving them for future generations. The PI for the project will be David Hartnett, Professor of Biology and Director of Konza Prairie Research Natural Area. The film will be co-produced by Aimee Larrabee, an independent filmmaker who has co-produced several award-winning documentaries with the BBC, and John Altman, an independent filmmaker who has produced for PBS, A&E, Bravo, and the Discovery Channel. The 19 member advisory committee will be lead by Dr. Hartnett and by Alan Knapp, Project Director of the Konza Prairie Research Natural Area LTER program and Professor Biology at Kansas State University, and John Blair, Associate Professor of Biology at Kansas State University and nationally recognized leader in the field of soil ecology and grassland nutrient dynamics.
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TEAM MEMBERS:
David HartnettAlan KnappJohn AltmanJohn BlairAimee Larrabee
The CMN helps communities in British Columbia and Canada map sensitive habitats and species distribution. Information is integrated from many sources to assist landuse planning and is freely available in over fifty user friendly atlases. The atlases have links to local and remote databases, WMS sources and geo-referenced video. The CMN supports Sensitive Habitat Inventory and Mapping (SHIM) projects and provides customized data entry, digitizing and other tools. By providing accurate and up to date information, the CMN and its many partners will help plan sustainable communities.