“The Roads Taken” virtual conference was part of a three-phase research project designed to explore the very long-term impact of STEM youth programs (such as the iconic YouthALIVE program). In this first phase, a virtual conference was held to engage youth program practitioners in the development and testing of a Program Profile prototype, a structured document that helps institutions to characterize their own youth programs in useful ways.
Following the webinars and the completion of the Program Profile by each organization, participants were asked to complete a brief survey (included as
How do afterschool programs view their local public libraries? Are they working with them, and in what ways? These are the questions that the Afterschool Alliance, along with its partners at the Space Science Institute’s National Center for Interactive Learning (NCIL) and the American Library Association, wanted to answer. Overall, our goal is to build bridges between the afterschool and library fields, so that both can share knowledge and resources to better serve our youth. While our work together has primarily focused on science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) education through
Merging art and science, "Self Reflected" aims to communicate the incredible complexity of the neural signaling in our brains that makes us who we are. The artists, Dr. Greg Dunn and Dr. Brian Edwards, invented a novel technique called reflective microetching to simulate the microscopic behavior of neurons in the viewer’s brain as they observe this work of art. "Self Reflected" is currently on display in the Your Brain exhibit at The Franklin Institute in Philadelphia. This summative evaluation study explores museum visitors’ behavior, reactions, and learning outcomes as they interact with
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
This summative evaluation report focuses on the impact that the Working with a Scientist Program at the University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP) had on its student participants. Student participants were recruited from regional high schools that are categorized as Title I schools, due to the large population of low income students that they serve. The participants engaged in mentored research activities a UTEP every other Saturday during the spring semester and on weekdays during the summer. Their mentors were professional scientists from different STEM disciplines, such as Chemistry, Immunology
This report comprises the third part of a 4-year evaluation assessing the impact of the Working with a Scientist Program (WWASP) at the University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP) had on its student-participants. This report includes an assessment of the program’s impact on the third cohort of student-participants. To assess the students’ overall performance, several measures were used. First, a review of participant’s academic performance before and after their involvement in the program was conducted. Second, the impacts that the programs’ cogenerative dialogues (cogens) had in the third cohort of
This report is part of a four-year evaluation assessing the impact of the Working with a Scientist Program (WWASP) at the University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP) had on its student-participants. This report includes an assessment of the impact on the first two cohorts of student-participants. This program selected participants from local high schools to take part in research activities for the spring and summer semester. To assess the students’ overall performance, several measures were used. First, a review of participant’s academic performance before and after their involvement in the program
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TEAM MEMBERS:
Lizely Madrigal-GonzalezGuadalupe Corral
This report is part of a four-year evaluation assessing the impact that the Working with a Scientist Program at the University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP) had on its first cohort of participants. Participants were students from a regional high school that were selected to take part in research activities every other Saturday during the Spring semester and on weekdays during the summer. The evaluation components included in this report focus on assessing students’ academic performance and the gains the students made while in the program. It also focused on an assessment of students’ perceptions
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TEAM MEMBERS:
Guadalupe CorralJacqueline LowereeJoseph Negron
This study addressed the questions of whether or not the IMAX/OMNIMAX film "Tropical Rainforest" contributes to a positive attitude towards, and and increase in knowledge about, the tropical rain forests of the world. Results indicate that there are statistically significant increases in knowledge gained as well as an increase in positive attitudes towards the tropical rain forests. All three specific audiences (grades 1-6; grades 7-12; adult general) tended to increase overall.
Supported by the National Science Foundation, the Global Soundscapes! Big Data, Big Screens, Open Ears project employs a variety of informal learning experiences to present the physics of sound and the new science of soundscape ecology. The interdisciplinary science analyzes sounds over time in different ecosystems around the world. The major components of the Global Soundscapes project are an educator-led interactive giant-screen theater program and hands-on group activities. Multimedia Research, an independent evaluation firm, implemented a summative evaluation with low income, inner-city
In 2012, the Science Museum of Minnesota (SMM) received funding from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to develop an exhibition utilizing objects from the former Museum of Questionable Medical Devices (QMDs), contextualizing them in the greater conversation about scientific skepticism and how people make healthcare decisions. The resulting exhibition, Weighing the Evidence, opened in December 2015. This kt, object-based exhibition is organized into four islands of artifacts with accompanying information and hands-on “Try It” interactives, which allow visitors to experience some
The Anthropologist examines climate change like no other film before. The fate of the planet is considered from the perspective of American teenager Katie Crate. Over the course of five years, she travels alongside her mother Susie, an anthropologist studying the impact of climate change on indigenous communities. Their journey parallels that of renowned anthropologist Margaret Mead, who for decades sought to understand how global change affects remote cultures.
From January 2012 to May 2012, SmartStart Educational Consulting Services conducted a front-end evaluation of the documentary