Citizen Science refers to the general public engagement in scientific research activities when citizens actively contribute to science, either with their intellectual effort, through observation or with their tools and resources. For the last two years, the SOCIENTIZE project has coordinated many agents involved in the citizen science process, setting the basis for this new open science paradigm. The project has setup a network where infrastructure providers and researchers recruit volunteers from the general public to perform science at home. Through SOCIENTIZE, individual citizens have
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TEAM MEMBERS:
Fermin Serrano SanzTeresa Holocher-ErtlBarbara KieslingerFrancisco Sanz GarciaCandida Silva
In late 2012, COMPASS received NSF grant number 1255633, “A Workshop to Explore Building Systemic Communication Capacity for Next Generation Scientists.” Known in shorthand and on twitter as #GradSciComm, the work comprises three major components, culminating in this report: (1) To assess the current landscape of science communication workshops, courses, and trainings available to graduate students in the STEM disciplines; (2) To convene a workshop of science communication trainers, scholars, science society leaders, funders, administrators, and graduate students; and (3) To provide concrete
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TEAM MEMBERS:
Liz NeeleyErica GoldmanBrooke SmithNancy BaronSarah Sunu
This document is a “think piece” about why and how informal science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) education institutions could be placing amusing, novel experiences in people’s paths to create memorable STEM experiences embedded in their everyday lives. The report focuses on what we learned about creating interactive STEM exhibits in public spaces outside of a science center. That said, the content can inform hands-on learning experiences on other topics, as well, within the limits outlined.
This report applies a practice-based approach to learning and making in the context of a museum makerspace (The Makeshop at the Children's Museum of Pittsburgh). This perspective draws upon theories of cultural and social learning, which assert an understanding of learning as fundamentally tied to the social and cultural contexts in which it occurs and focuses on the "practices" that define learning communities. The practices identified in this report are observable and/or reportable evidence of learners' engagement in making as a learning process.
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TEAM MEMBERS:
Lisa BrahmsPeter Wardrip
resourceresearchProfessional Development, Conferences, and Networks
The Broader Impacts Infrastructure Summit, held in Arlington, VA, in April 2014, brough together more than 120 professionals from 80 higher education institutions and nonprofits for wide-ranging discussions on broader impacts focused on institutioinal collaboration, guidance, and accountability. Perspectives on Broader Impacts present some of the highlights from the summit, including perspectives from NSF, perspectives of university leaders, and perspectives of university participants.
Connected learning is an educational approach designed to make learning relevant to students, creating a deeper form of learning and understanding that will help students become life-long learners who will grow and thrive in school, work and life. Afterschool programs have long been implementing this approach that ties together students interests, peer networks and academic pursuits. This report explores the benefits of using a connected learning approach, the variety of ways afterschool programs are offering connected learning opportunities to engage students in learning, and shares ideas on
The Franklin Institute (TFI) engaged Insight Evaluation Services (IES) to conduct a review of TFI museum/community partnership programs from 1993 through 2014 for the purpose of identifying "lessons learned", that is the successes and challenges of working together to achieve a common goal. IES reviewed over 40 research studies and evaluation reports for fourteen programs in which TFI was a partner in a long-term collaborative relationship with one or more community-based organizations, informal learning organizations, and/or other education-oriented public service institutions, including: The