A regional system of collaborative geoscience interpretation for the Finger Lakes region of New York State will be undertaken. The Museum of the Earth (MOTE) will be the interpretive hub and partnerships with six Finger Lakes State Parks, Cornell University and the Paleontological Institute are in place to provide field sites and geology content information. The integrated interpretive system of signage and related exhibits will be assessed as to reaching the needs of the target audience by way of extensive front end evaluation. The development of the geoscience content and prototyping of the signage will continue throughout the planning period.
The Astronomical Society of the Pacific, in collaboration with the Astronomical League and Sky and Telescope Magazine, will survey amateur astronomers to determine which informal audiences they serve and what types of support materials would encourage them to do more and better outreach, and to test a prototype set of outreach support materials. Amateur astronomers, estimated to number 300,000 to 500,000, represent a large and mostly untapped source of expertise and enthusiasm for conducting educational outreach activities in the community and in schools.
This is a planning grant to Timothy Ferris to develop a PBS documentary film about amateur astronomy and stargazing. The film will bring viewers into direct contact with the night sky, introducing them to the constellations and showing how even a small telescope can open a window onto the cosmos. Ferris has previously produced two highly regarded science documentaries, "The Creation of the Universe" and "Life Beyond Earth." The director for the "Seeing In the Dark" program will be Thomas Levenson who most recently served as producer/director/writer for the "Dome" program in Building Big. Andrew Fraknoi, Chair of the Astronomy Department at Foothill College and Educational consultant for the Astronomical Society of the Pacific will be the Science and Outreach Consultant for the project. Activities during the planning stage include: Developing preliminary storyboarding, determining locations and people to appear in the film and working out special effects sequences; Acquiring and digitizing images for use in the film; Planning educational and public outreach efforts; Identifying and consulting with potential creative contributors to the film; Shooting and editing a test night scene at a "star party" to establish which techniques can produce the best results in these conditions.
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.
The project is based upon the established Math, Science, and Beyond (MSB) program which consists of a series of evening family science workshops (with curriculum materials developed for classroom settings) in which students and parents explore science and mathematics together through exciting, hands-on activities. Units for each grade level (K-6) focus on physical, earth, and life science. The MSB informal science project will adapt materials and bring the program to informal learning settings - 25 Boys and Girls Clubs of California, and 25 California Department of Parks and Recreation sites. These clubs will receive training, materials, and support to operate Science Clubs (after school MSB sessions), Science Camps (summer, off-track and Spring/Winter Break, week-long MSB sessions), and Science Explorers Family Workshops (1-2 hour sessions for elementary school students and their parents). In addition to the Boys and Girls Clubs, and the California Department of Parks and Recreation, the California Science Implementation Network is a key collaborator on the project.
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TEAM MEMBERS:
Mary CavanaghEleanore TopolovacM. SusanJoseph Keating
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.
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.
During the 3 years of this project, 72 high school and middle school teachers and 36 students will work as members of atmospheric research teams studying each of ten airshed around the Portland, OR metropolitan area. Each summer's activities include a 4-week atmospheric interaction research course and a one-week air quality measurement campaign during a pollution episode. Transfer to the classroom is anticipated through action research projects during the academic year. An interactive webpage will enable all partners to access data, real time models of the atmosphere, and descriptions of the action research projects. A lead high school will serve as the Horizons-Air site for an airshed zone and will work collaboratively with four other middle/high schools, the Horizons-Met sites.
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TEAM MEMBERS:
Linda GeorgeDaniel JohnsonWilliam Becker
The Center for Atmospheric and Space Sciences (CASS) at Augsburg College, in collaboration with the Science Museum of Minnesota, is developing three exhibit clusters on important weather and climate systems that affect our everyday lives. Each cluster will consist of a micro-computer-based exhibit that runs a mathematical model of the weather system, a supporting three-dimensional display that encapsulates the entire system, a physical interactive exhibit that teaches critical physical concepts, and a graphical environment that reinforces connections to visitors' personal knowledge and interests. The three weather systems that constitute the content of the exhibit will be selected from the following four options: mid-latitude cyclones and the weather they cause, the cycle of ice ages over the past million years, global warming and greenhouse gases, and physical features on the earth that have profound effects on local climates. These exhibit clusters will build on the previous interactive exhibit components developed by Augsburg College: Seasons, Winds, and Clouds. All three exhibit and program clusters will be designed so they can be placed in science and natural history museums nationwide. The computer models will be designed to run on common, inexpensive microcomputers and will be disseminated to museums, libraries, other public sites, and schools. The project content and educational design will be developed by the PI, William Jasperson, a Senior Research Scientist at CASS, working with two of his fellow Senior Research Scientists, David Venne and Anthony Hansen, and with Geanine Gregoire from the Department of Education at Augsburg College. J. Shipley Newlin and James Roe, will be responsible for exhibit design and development at the science museum.
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TEAM MEMBERS:
William JaspersonJ NewlinDavid Venne
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