Scholastic Productions is producing thirteen additional episodes for the third season of the fully animated, half-hour television series, "The Magic School Bus." The series, which is targeted at 6-9 year olds, is designed to motivate children's interest in science, to introduce science concepts and ideas, and to inspire positive attitudes towards science and education in students and teachers. The series is unique to science educational television because it breaks the science gender barrier, showcases both education and science, and, through the use of animation which enables the series to transport children to places they literally could not go, presents content in a unique way. Season III topics include: spiders, the Arctic, light, color, the moon, structures, and sound. Outreach activities will include and expand upon those offered for Seasons I and II. During Season III, special emphasis will be placed on reaching families. The project also will use America On-line to promote the series and to communicate the value in and the methods for encouraging children's interest in science. The same basic administrative, content, and production staff will continue with the project. Management and editorial control will be the responsibility of Jane Startz, Executive Vice President of Scholastic Productions. Cheryl Gotthelf, Executive Director of Special Projects for Scholastic Productions will oversee series distribution and utilization, print, research, public relations, promotion, and community and museum outreach. Science content will continue to be supervised by Michael Templeton with the assistance of an Associate Science Content Director, Fran Nankin. Kristin Martin will remain in charge of series production.
The Pacific Science Center will develop a 7000 sq. ft. traveling exhibit "Other Worlds! Other Beings"? Concerned that the general public is largely uninformed about the results of the years of basic science research carried out by U.S. scientists, this exhibit will provide an opportunity for visitors to learn about the results of this research and increase their own understanding of the earth and the solar system in general. The exhibit will introduce visitors to the planets, their environmental characteristics, potential and unlikely probability for life to exist on other planets and the processes involved in astronomical research. In addition to the exhibit, they will develop a planetarium program, materials for use by teachers and students, various workshops and other programs for teachers and community leaders, and a full marketing package for participating museums. The exhibit will travel to a minimum of nine museums during its three year tour after opening at the Pacific Science Center in December, 1997.
How do we know the distance to a star? How do we know what a star is made of? How do we know how fast an object is moving? These questions are addressed in this 1,488 square foot permanent exhibit which emphasizes astronomical spectroscopy - the detailed analysis of light from astronomical objects. This interactive, bilingual (English/Spanish) exhibit will demonstrate different applications of spectroscopy that provide insight into the universe, and will provide opportunities for students, teachers, parents, and the general public to learn about the universe. Bilingual ancillary materials will be produced: pre- and post-visit materials for school visitors; a "Life at an Observatory" ten-minute orientation/information video to be shown at the visitor center. Target audiences are students in grades K-12, and general visitors.
This is a planning grant to Children's Television Workshop (CTW) to develop further the science content in a proposed television series for 8-12 year olds entitled, The Wheel In Space. This adventure series would be set on an orbiting space station 100 years in the future which, by definition is an enormous scientific and technological enterprise. The planning period would be used to investigate how its complex systems and operations can best be used to illustrate principles and processes science. Specific planning tasks include: Working with consultants in space science and other scientific disciplines as well as with organizations such as NASA and the National Air and Space Museum to explore the science and technology involved in the operation of a space station and to project what living, working, and growing up on a space station might be like a century from now; Writing a content "bible" that will serve as a technical guide to writers of the series; Writing a treatment of the series that outlines story premises that incorporate science topics; Investigating potential components of the project that may enhance the reach and impact of the television series; Examining the advantages and disadvantages of a co-production arrangement with Southern Star, a television production company in Australia interested in participating in the project. The PI's for the project will be Joel Schneider who will serve as Content Director and Jeffrey Nelson who will be Executive Producer. Both have worked on previous science and mathematics media projects at CTW. A principal consultant will be Samuel Gibbon, producer and/or executive producer for Sesame Street, The Electric Company, 3-2-1 Contact, and The Voyage of the Mimi.
The University of Texas at Austin requests $399,341 to expand the current Universo translations of StarDate into Spanish to more culturally relevant programs for a growing Hispanic audience. Plans include creation of longer programs with a different format for Hispanic Heritage Month for 1998-2000 and creation of complimentary collateral materials for distribution to 200 Spanish- language radio stations. Programs will also be distributed to 1,650 classrooms. A teacher's guide for using Universo in the classroom will be developed in English with activities available in both English and Spanish. A parent's guide to Universo/StarDate will also be produced to encourage parents to get involved in skywatching activities.
The Space Science Institute is developing a 5,000 s.f. hands-on traveling exhibitions called MarsQuest that will be the centerpiece of a wide-ranging planetary science education program. The exhibition will feature engaging, aesthetically designed, hands-on displays that offer experiences with science concepts relevant to Mars exploration, and will address the common misconceptions about Mars and its relationship to Earth. The most exciting aspect of the exhibition is its up-to-date connection to the progress and discoveries of 8-10 spacecraft that will be launched by NASA from 1996-2005. The exhibition will be supported by educational programs, including comprehensive teacher workshops, public programs on Mars themes, a 30-minute planetarium show emphasizing exploration and discovery, visits to schools and the dissemination of comprehensive field- tested educational materials developed by Arizona State University, the Planetary Society, NASA, the Pacific Science Center, and others. All educational materials will be aligned with the National Science Education Standards and will be available on the World Wide Web.
During this planning grant, the Film Arts Foundation will draft a script and develop prototype examples of animation for a one-hour television program that will provide viewers with insight into the large-scale organization of the Universe. These materials will be developed and tested in collaboration with advisors. The program will present, in a manner accessible to the lay public, the work that the PI, Brent Tully, and other astronomers have done on mapping the universe and will present current knowledge about the formation of this structure. The principals in the planning phase will be Brent Tully, scientific director; Thomas Lucas, producer/director; Jonathan Grupper, writer; and Edward Shaya, computer animator. They will work with a twelve-member advisory committee of astronomers working at research universities, informal educators from four major planetaria, and science educators.
The Chabot Observatory and Science Center (COSC) in Oakland California will develop and present Bringing the Universe Down to Earth: Demystifying the Process that shapes the Solar System. This exhibition will utilize thirteen interactive works by Ned Kahn, a nationally recognized artist. The exhibition will consist of twenty-six exhibits: two per theme, one for Chabot, and one for the traveling component. The exhibition will be incorporated into the structure and network of COSC. It will invite visitors to draw on their general knowledge of this world by focusing on familiar earthly phenomena, such as volcanoes, whirlwinds, wind storms, avalanches, and to consider them in a broader context. Also, the project will take advantage of Chabot's well developed, online connection with schools and community groups in the area to create new opportunities for individualized inquiry. A direct product of this work will be a series of curricular outlines designed to help teachers make full use of the exhibition. This effort can be used to foster a strong collaboration between the informal and formal science education programs. An important feature of this exhibition is that it will travel to nine sites around the country under the auspices of the Association of Science and Technology Centers (ASTC). It is projected that over one million people at the nine sites will see this traveling exhibition. Educational and marketing materials, as well as workshops materials prepared for the COSC exhibition will accompany the traveling exhibit.
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TEAM MEMBERS:
Michael ReynoldsMargaret HaubenNed Kahn
The Adler Planetarium & Astronomy Museum proposes to develop a 10,395 square foot permanent exhibition. Five major exhibit areas - The Milky Way; Billions and Billions; The Life Cycle of Stars; Properties of Stars; and The Dynamic Galaxy -will orient visitors to the Milky Way, and explore in detail the fascinating objects found within. Each gallery will represent different content areas, but there are several underlying connecting themes. 1. Science does not distract from the appreciation, beauty, and mystery of the Universe, but rather deepens it; 2. The universe is a vast, dynamic, evolving, and fascinating place, where we are always learning about new things; 3. We can organize our picture of the Universe in ways that help us understand its structure, and our place in it; 4. We can begin to understand the Universe through observation and interpretation; 5. Based on the fundamental laws of nature, there are some concepts that will help us to explain the phenomenons of the universe. The Adler's new exhibits and programs will reflect the principles and pedagogy articulated in the new National Science Education Standards. It will also be reflected in the national and local reform efforts such as the Urban Systemic Initiative. The Adler staff will collaborate with the Chicago Systemic Initiative of the Chicago Public Schools. The CSI teachers, parents, and students will be involved the program development and evaluation process through focus groups, working teams, and pilot testing activities on-site at the museum The project Principal Investigator (PI) Dr. Evalyn L. Gates received her Doctorate in Physics from Case Western Reserve University in 1990. Currently, she serves as Chair of the Astronomy Department at the Adler Planetarium and Astronomy Museum. Dr. Gates is a Research Scientist on the faculty in the Department of Astronomy and Astrophysics at The University of Chicago in Chicago, Illinois. In addition to the project team, a broad-based advisory comm ittee will serve as counsel to the project. Serving on the project advisory committee are: Minda Borun; Director of Research and Evaluation, The Franklin Institute Science Museum; Richard G. Kron, Ph.D., Director, Yerkes Observatory and on the faculty at The University of Chicago; Catherine A. Pilachowski, Ph.D., Kitt Peak National Observatory; Phillip M. Sadler, Ed.D. Harvard- Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics; James W. Thuran, Ph. D., The University of Chicago ; Melanie Wojtulewicz, M.A., the Chicago Public Schools; and Fahrad Y. Zadeh, Ph.D. Northwestern University.
The Earth & Sky radio series reaches over 2.8 million individuals in the United States each week. This grant, which will diminish each year over a four-year period, will enable the project to accomplish the following goals: * Continue production and distribution of the Earth & Sky radio series * Distribute a bi-annual booklet for teachers, Earth In the Classroom * Establish a partnership between the Earth & Sky Young Producers Contest and National Science and Technology Week. * Increase the visual content of Earth & Sky Online * Launch an * Earth & Sky Classroom Project to provide teachers and students with a guided "Internet Experience" simulated on a CD and, therefore, not requiring an Internet connection. * Produce and test a 156 segment "trial run" of a Kids' Earth & Sky radio series designed for the emerging Radio Disney network. Earth & Sky is produced and hosted by Deborah Byrd and Joel Block. They work with a team of producer/writers and interact on a regular basis with members of a team of over 90 science advisors.
The Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago is producing a large format film that examines the sun and the relationship between the earth, its inhabitants, and our mother star. SOLARMAX will present some of the newest discoveries about the sun and will place special emphasis on the defining impact of the sun on human life and culture. The influence of solar cycles on global warming will be explored and new, unprecedented high-definition images of the sun will be included for the first time in a large format film. The film will examine how multiple scientific disciplines interact to build a complete picture of the universe by delving into the history and philosophy of science, astronomy, astrophysics, solar physics, helioseismology, meteorology, spectrography, mathematics, and biology. The Museum of Science and Industry, Chicago, will serve as Executive Producer and distributor of SOLARMAX. The film will be produced by Robert Eather, an expert in magnetospheric physics and a science filmmaker. The Co-Producer, Writer, and Director will be John Weiley who previously served in these roles for the large format film, Antarctica. Advisors in the fields of space weather, solar physics, and archaeoastronomy include Louis Lanzerotte, Paul Dusenbery, Gaerhardt Haerendell, George Siscoe, and Edwin Krupp.
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TEAM MEMBERS:
Robert EatherJohn WeileyJohn WickstromMuseum of Science and Industry
Unicorn Projects, Inc. is producing and distributing a project on the origins of life and its connections to the origin of the universe. The project will present the challenges facing scientists working to unlock universal mysteries and the often painstaking but ultimately rewarding process of the scientific endeavor. It will be designed to reach the lay audience by linking what seem to be abstract and complicated ideas -- like how the universe was born, or how stars evolve -- to issues at the heart of everyday life raised by such simple questions as "Where did we come from?" The components of the project will include: * Four, one-hour television programs for prime time broadcast * An informal science outreach component targeted to middle school-age children and families * Activity kits and training guides adaptable for both informal and formal education * A World Wide WEB site The Co-Executive Producers for the series will be Thomas Levenson and Larry Klein. Levenson has been on the staff of NOVA at WGBH and was producer for the NOVA program on Einstein. Klein has been the producer for numerous science films including "Matters of Life and Death" in the Science Odyssey series. The co-producer for the series and science editor for the project will be Alan Dressler, an astronomer and cosmologist whose principal area of research is the formation and evolution of galaxies. Advisors to the series include: Colleen Cavanaugh, Professor of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology at Harvard University; George V. Coyne, Director of the Vatican Observatory; Douglas Erwin, Research Paleobiologist and Curator at the National Museum of Natural History; Sandra Faber, Professor of Astronomy and University Professor at the UCO/Lick Observatory, UC, Santa Cruz; John P. Grotzinger, Professor at Massachusetts Institute of Technology; Matt Mountain, Director of the Gemini 8M Telescopes project; and Ethan J. Schreier, Astronomer and Associate Director for Operations at the Space Telescope Science Institute. Outreach material will be developed by staff at the Pacific Science Center and implementation will be handled by the AAAS.
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TEAM MEMBERS:
Thomas LevensonLarry KleinBarbara Flagg