In August 2012, the National Museum of Natural History (NMNH) contracted with Audience Focus (AF), a Maryland-‐based research and evaluation organization, to evaluate visitors’ experiences with the Scientist Is In program. Specifically, AF was asked to design a comprehensive study that would provide insight into the nature of visitors’ engagement with the program, and how participation in the program influenced visitors’ understanding of and curiosity about science topics, awareness of science careers, perceptions of NMNH as a research institution, and recognition of the connections between
Formative evaluation of one of four pieces of the Marcellus Matters: EASE project. This study examined the effectiveness of an eight-week adult/community education program about topics related to natural gas development.
Formative evaluation of one of four pieces of the Marcellus Matters: EASE project. This study examined the effectiveness of two "Community Conversations" theater and dialogue/discussion events at a) communicating natural gas development-related science content and community issues, and b) promoting audience members' openness to dialogue about natural gas development-related issues.
Purpose: To determine the effectiveness of the Evolution Wall and Research Highlight exhibit in conveying the main topics of the exhibit: biodiversity and the research of Burke curators. Evaluation Questions: 1.What is the nature of Evolution Wall and Research Highlight use by visitors? What draws their attention? 2.Do visitors understand that the exhibit is about evolution and biodiversity? 3.To what extent are visitors aware that Burke curators are involved with and conduct current research? Key Findings: 1.The Evolution Wall and the photos were the most interesting components of exhibit for
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TEAM MEMBERS:
Ari EinbinderAmy DygertDylan HighBurke Natural History Museum
In 2012, Concord Evaluation Group (CEG) conducted an evaluation of the impact of Peep and the Big Wide World (Peep) resources on Spanish-speaking families with preschool-aged children. The three-pronged evaluation included a National Family Study in which 112 Spanish-speaking families who used the Peep resources were compared to Spanish-speaking families who did not use the Peep resources. It also included an In-Depth Family Study -- an experiment conducted in the metro Boston area in which 36 Spanish-speaking families who used the Peep resources were compared to Spanish-speaking families who
Children's Discovery Museum of San Jose (CDM) contracted Randi Korn & Associates, Inc. (RK&A) to conduct a summative evaluation of the Mammoth Discovery! exhibition, one part of a comprehensive project funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF). Mammoth Discovery! features the story of Lupe, fossilized mammoth bones found in San Jose and includes a full-size replica of Lupe and Lupe's actual skull, femur, and pelvis fossils. Through engagement with the exhibition, CDM intends for children and their caregivers to engage in scientific thinking, become aware that they are engaging in a
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TEAM MEMBERS:
Randi Korn & Associates, Inc.Children's Discovery Museum
Produced by Twin Cities Public Television, St. Paul, MN, and sponsored by the National Science Foundation, SciGirls (SG) is a multimedia project for upper grade-school and middle-school tweens. Weekly half-hour episodes are tied in with web and outreach activities in the fields of science, technology and engineering. Multimedia Research, an independent evaluation group implemented a summative evaluation of the SG Season Two multimedia project. Fifth grade girls (N = 87) viewed three shows over three weeks. They could visit the SG website at any time but were required to visit and play a Pick'm
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TEAM MEMBERS:
Barbara FlaggTwin Cities Public Television
In August 2009, the Program Evaluation and Research Group (PERG) at Lesley University contracted with the project's PI at the University of New Hampshire (UNH) to evaluate My Dome: Defining the Computational and Cognitive Potential of Real Time Interactive Simulations in an Immersive Dome Environment, an NSF funded grant. The project focuses on creating interactive experiences in immersive virtual environments, and builds off previous work the PI and co PIs have done in developing films and immersive experiences in domes and traveling domes. The project includes staff from the Carnegie Museum
The Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County (NHMLAC) contracted Randi Korn & Associates, Inc. (RK&A) to conduct a hybrid evaluation that was both front-end evaluation and formative evaluation. NHMLAC created a full-size prototype of a portion of Nature Lab, an exhibition that prompts visitors to think about LA's urban nature and their connection to it, while highlighting the main idea that LA is a biodiversity hotspot. The prototype was installed in the space where the completed exhibition will live, and the evaluation explored visitors' responses to the proposed exhibition content and
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TEAM MEMBERS:
Randi Korn & Associates, Inc.Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County
This is the second annual report of the formative evaluation of a three-year project, Community STEM Outreach, funded by the Office of Naval Research. Focus of the project is the Youth Exploring Science (YES) Program at the Saint Louis Science Center. The report addresses the following questions: "Why conduct an evaluation?", "Who are the YES teens?", "What happens in YES?", "What are the program's outputs?", "What are the program's impacts?", ""What are the different points-of-view that stakeholders have about YES?", "What areas are important to stakeholders and program success?", "What
The Indianapolis Museum of Art (IMA) contracted Randi Korn & Associates, Inc. (RK&A) to study the public art installation and project FLOW: Can You See the River? The project was conceived by visual artist Mary Miss to engage Indianapolis residents with the White River. The study, funded by the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA), was designed to determine the effects of the FLOW project on Indianapolis residents, particularly in regards to their awareness and perceptions of the White River.
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TEAM MEMBERS:
Randi Korn & Associates, Inc.Indianapolis Museum of Art
A NSF EArly-concept Grant for Exploratory Research (EAGER) was awarded to Principal Investigator John Fraser, PhD, AIA, in collaboration with co-Principal Investigators, Mary Miss and William Solecki, PhD, for City as Living Laboratory for Sustainability in Urban Design (CaLL). The CaLL project explored how public art installations can promote public discussion about sustainability. The project examined the emerging role of artists and visual thinkers as people with the skills to encourage conversation between scientists and the public. The grant supported an experimental installation