Previous studies on public engagement with science have identified various difficulties in the encounters between experts and lay people. However, there is a scarcity of research investigating expert-youth interaction. In this paper we focus on the interactive framings of an informal PES event. Based on a case study involving a climate change panel discussion and a simultaneous online chat, both aimed at young people, we discuss the multiplicity of framing. Further, we look for “misbehaviours” which challenge the rationality and norms of the event. Our findings indicate that the frame of
StarTalk Radio will develop a highly innovative new genre of science radio that bridges the intersection between popular culture and science education. Host of the show and project PI is Dr. Neil deGrasse Tyson, renowned scientist, astrophysicist, popular science author and director of the Hayden Planetarium in New York City. The radio programs will combine comedy, references to pop culture, and public fascination with space science to reach an untapped audience for the informal science field--those who listen to commercial talk radio call-in shows. The STEM content will include astronomy, astrophysics, astrobiology, space exploration, earth system science, and associated technologies. Goals and intended outcomes of the project include increasing knowledge and interest of space science topics, and motivating audiences to pursue additional learning acitivities as the result of listening to the programs. This project builds on a previous SGER grant (#0852400) which produced 13 pilot programs and was evaluated by Multimedia Research. Project deliverables include 39 one-hour live call-in shows a year for a total of 117 shows over three years, a website, and a business strategy that projects making the radio programs self-sustaining. Dr. Tyson will be the host, and each program will include a celebrity guest who has a strong interest in science. The target audience for the show is the "blue collar intellectual" audience segment who listens to commercial talk radio, has a high school education or less and is in the 25-44 year old range. It is estimated that there will be one million listeners per week by the end of the project. People with disabilities (deaf and visually impaired) will have access to the products through captioning and other features on the website. Project partners include CBS Radio, CBS/AOL, and Discover Magazine. Formative evaluation of these new shows and website will be conducted by Multimedia Research. The Goodman Research Group (GRG) will conduct the summative evluation to assess the extent to which the project accomplishes the goals and specifically will gather and analyze data on the previously untappped and underserved audiences. The evaluation will examine the differences in impact on Science Novices and Science Enthusiasts, asking questions about how the programs increase awareness of scientific issues, and their effects on society and culture, as well as factual knowledge. Methods include multi-level, quasi-experimental, and longitudinal episode assessments. Potential impacts on the field of informal science education include opening up a new commercial radio audience for informal science learning, increasing knowledge about effective approaches to combining humor and science, and demonstrating an effective business model that results in a self-supporting show about science on commercial radio.
Researchers at the American Association of Variable Star Observers, the Living Laboratory at the Boston Museum of Science, and the Adler Planetarium are studying stereoscopic (three-dimensional or 3D) visualizations so that this emerging viewing technology has an empirical basis upon which educators can build more effective informal learning experiences that promote learning and interest in science by the public. The project's research questions are: How do viewers perceive 3D visualizations compared to 2D visualizations? What do viewers learn about highly spatial scientific concepts embedded in 3D compared to 2D visualizations? How are viewers\' perceptions and learning associated with individual characteristics such as age, gender, and spatial cognition ability? Project personnel are conducting randomized, experimental mixed-methods research studies on 400 children and 1,000 adults in museum settings to compare their cognitive processing and learning after viewing two-dimensional and three-dimensional static and dynamic images of astronomical objects such as colliding galaxies. An independent evaluator is (1) collecting data on museum workers' and visitors' perceived value of 3D viewing technology within museums and planetariums and (2) establishing a preliminary collection of best practices for using 3D viewing technology based on input from museum staff and visitors, and technology creators. Spatial thinking is important for learning many domains of science. The findings produced by the Two Eyes, 3D project will researchers' understanding about the advantages and disadvantages of using stereoscopic technology to promote learning of highly spatial science concepts. The findings will help educators teach science in stereoscopic ways that mitigate problems associated with using traditional 2D materials for teaching spatial concepts and processes in a variety of educational settings and science content areas, including astronomy.
Rockman et al (REA), a San Francisco-based research and evaluation firm, conducted the external evaluation for Youth Radio's DO IT! program, which was funded by the National Science Foundation. Building upon Youth Radio's previous Science and Technology Program, the DO IT! initiative consisted of three primary components that promoted STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) learning by training underserved youth in cutting-edge digital technologies: (1) Brains and Beakers: Young people hosted a line-up of investigators and inventors for demo-dialogues at Youth Radio's studios
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Rockman et al | Youth RadioKristin BassJulia Hazer
In 2010 EarthSky Communications Inc. was awarded a broad implementation grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF) entitled Proyecto de Implementacion Amplia EarthSky en Español (EarthSky in Spanish Broad Implementation Project). In partnership with the Spanish media company Univision Communications Inc. and a national Advisory Committee of Hispanic scientists, educators, and media experts, EarthSky proposed to present science information and scientist interviews to Spanish-preferring U.S. Hispanics via short video programs distributed on television and the Internet. Under the Broad
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Knight Williams Inc.Valerie Knight-WilliamsDeborah ByrdRachel TeelDivan WilliamsRoxana HernandezEric AndersonGabriel SimmonsSauleh Rahbari
This multiplatform media and science center project is designed to engage audiences in humanity's deepest questions like the nature of love, reality, time and death in both scientific and humanistic terms. Project deliverables include 5 hour-long radio programs for broadcast on NPR stations, public events/museum exhibits at the Exploratorium in San Francisco, kiosks in venues throughout the city, and a social media engagement campaign. The audience of the project is large and diverse using mass media and the internet. But the project will specifically target young, online, and minority audiences using various strategies. The project is designed to help a diverse audience understand the impact of new scientific developments as well as the basic science, technology, engineering and math needed to be responsible, informed citizens. Innovative elements of the project include the unique format of the radio programs that explore complex topics in an engaging and compelling way, the visitor engagement strategy at the Exploratorium, and the social media strategy that reaches niche audiences who might never listen to the radio broadcasts, but find the podcasts and blogs engaging. The Exploratorium will be opening a new building in 2013 and will include exhibits and programs that are testing grounds for this project. This is a new model that aligns the radio content with exhibitions, social media, and in person events at the Exploratorium, providing a unique holistic approach. The project is designed to inspire people to think and talk about science and want to find out more. The evaluation will measure the impacts on the targeted audiences reached by each of the key delivery methods. Data will be collected using focus groups; intercept interviews with people in public places, and longitudinal panels. The focus will be on 5 targeted audiences (young adults, families with children, non-NPR listeners, underrepresented minorities, and adults without college experience). This comprehensive evaluation will likely contribute important knowledge to the field based on this multiple-platform collaborative model.
NOVA Labs (www.pbs.org/nova/labs) is a web-based platform designed for use by educators, students, and teens to engage learners with authentic data, processes, and tools of working scientists. The present evaluation study sought to investigate the outcomes achieved by users of the third NOVA Labs platform developed: Cloud Lab. The intended outcomes identified for student users were that they would: • Be able to successfully work with the real data provided in the Cloud Lab; • Demonstrate ability to interpret and use scientific data and tools; • Engage with real scientific data through the
This poster describes the work accomplished by August 2014 for the NSF-funded project "Science of Sharing: Investigating Cooperation, Competition, and Social Interdependence." It was presented at the 2014 AISL PI Meeting in Washington, DC.
This poster was presented at the 2014 AISL PI Meeting in Washington, DC. It describes the PBS NewsHour STEM Learning project, a broadcast and online science journalism and informal science education initiative to report breaking science news and cutting-edge STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) research and researchers to a national audience.
This report summarizes findings from an evaluation of the NSF-funded project: Two Eyes, 3D. Through collaborations with two museums, the project sought to develop and test learning outcomes for stereoscopic (3D) resources. More specifically, the external evaluation—conducted by Rockman Et Al—sought to determine the perceived value of using stereoscopic technology within museums and planetariums, uncover best practices for implementation of stereoscopic resources, and further explore best practices for research partnerships within museum settings.
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American Association of Variable Star ObservrsJennifer Borland
This poster was presented at the 2014 AISL PI Meeting in Washington, DC. It highlights the goals, audience, outcomes, and lessons learned for a pathways project to develop a model for producing scientific news reports in a variety of media formats on a range of topics of keen interest to rural and Native American communities in Montana. Cultural differences and geographic isolation influence opportunities to provide STEM content to these communities, yet these communities are facing perplexing decisions about exploitation of their environmental resources. The poster highlights the successes of