The Miami Science Museum, in collaboration with Ideum and the Institute for Learning Innovation, is designing and developing an interactive multi-user exhibit that allows visitors to explore the global dimensions and local impacts of climate change. The exhibit will raise public understanding about the underlying science, the human causes, and the potential impacts of climate change by combining the attraction of a 4-foot spherical display with a user-controlled interface that lets visitors control the sphere and choose from a range of global and local content they wish to explore. A particular focus is on climate-related impacts on coastal communities, including the dangers posed by rising sea level and the possibility of more intense hurricanes. The project emphasizes engagement of diverse, multigenerational audiences through development of an interface that is fully bilingual and that promotes social interaction. The open-source learning module will be adaptable by other museums, to explore climate impacts specific to their region.
Literacy Volunteers of America (LVA) - Monroe County, Inc. and The College of Exploration are developing and implementing a pilot project to target traditionally under-represented ethnic groups who are limited English proficient-- many reading and writing in English at the grade 0 - grade 5.5 level. The project goals are for learners of English as a Second Language (ESL) to use digital photo cameras, digital video cameras, waterproof underwater HD cameras and GPS technologies to geo-locate, explore, observe, record, display and tell stories in English both in words, photos and short HD video clip sequences. Stories will be about the exploration of places like the National Marine Sanctuaries and other areas of the country and coasts where there are scientific observation and monitoring opportunities created and supported by NOAA partners.
This Broad Implementation media project (building upon prior NSF award 0639001) will address science literacy among Latinos via mass media, increasing the amount of Spanish-language science content available in the U.S., increasing the representation of Latino scientists in mainstream media, and expanding the knowledge base about Latino's interest and engagement in science. The STEM content will be based on the research conducted by the Hispanic scientists being interviewed and therefore includes a wide range of topics including astronomy, biology, physics, earth sciences, and engineering. The criteria for selecting the Hispanic researchers and the content is based on the importance of the research, how it is immediately relevant to a Latino audience, and how it draws on the indigenous knowledge system or ethnic pride for U.S. Latinos. Project deliverables include 150 audio-video interviews with Hispanic scientists distributed on both commercial Hispanic radio and TV stations, as well as public broadcasting and online. In addition to the broadcasts, social media tools such as Facebook and Twitter will be used to reach out and engage Hispanics. It is estimated that 300 Spanish-language radio stations will air the programs, resulting in 3 million radio impressions for each daily 60-second broadcast. Television broadcasts are estimated to result in another 2 million impressions per program. Project partners include the Society for the Advancement of Chicanos and Native Americans in Science (SACNAS); V-Me, a national Hispanic educational channel; KLRN, the San Antonio, Texas public television station that will provide the national PBS distribution; and DaGama Web Studio that will develop and implement the social media marketing plan to attract and engage Latinos online. Comprehensive evaluations of project deliverables and impact will be conducted by Informal Learning Solutions (video-audio formative evaluations), and Knight-Williams Research (summative evaluation of project impact). The Summative Evaluation Plan will focus on the programs\' overall appeal, clarity, and effectiveness in meeting the two key audience objectives in the proposal: (1) increasing familiarity with and understanding of science concepts among U.S. Latinos, and (2) demonstrating engagement activities such as talking with friends/family about the presented topics, and/or seeking out additional information. It will furthermore assess the extent to which listeners and viewers find the Hispanic researchers featured in the programs to be effective communicators and the importance they assign to hearing from Hispanic researchers themselves. It will look at whether and how the programs are effective selecting topics with immediate relevance to listeners'/viewers' everyday lives. Finally, the evaluation will gather information about listeners'/viewers' demographic and background characteristics, including their country of origin, degree of fluency in Spanish, reasons for preferring Spanish media, number of generations in the U.S., reasons for tuning into the programming, efforts to recommend the programs to others, and the likelihood of continuing to listen to or view the programs in the future.
Tornado Alley is a large-format 2D/3D film and comprehensive outreach program exploring the science behind severe weather events. The project focuses on cutting-edge developments in the fields of meteorology and earth science, demonstrating weather monitoring technologies. The project spotlights the current research of the VORTEX 2 (V2) project--the most ambitious effort ever to understand the origins, structure and evolution of tornadoes. The principle target audiences are science museum audiences, with additional special attention to under-served, rural mid-western communities, which will be served by digital 3D screenings. The film will be produced by Graphic Films and Giant Screen Films and distributed by Giant Screen Films. The Franklin Institute will create and manage outreach to professional audiences. Informal Learning Solutions will conduct formative evaluation; RMC Research Corporation will conduct summative evaluation of the project. The film, produced by Paul Novros (PI) and directed by Sean Casey, will collaborate closely with the V2 team, led by Dr. Josh Wurman, and consult with the project advisors to assure clarity and accuracy of the science being presented. A distance-learning initiative to serve educators--both formal and informal--will be managed by Karen Elinich (co-PI) of The Franklin Institute. The project's innovative outreach strategies leverage the mobility of the tornado intercept vehicle (TIV) built by Sean Casey, and the Doppler on Wheels and MGAUS (weather balloon vehicles) to bring scientists and weather-monitoring technology into direct contact with audiences. Outreach to underserved audiences, especially rural audiences, will provide opportunities for interactions with V2 PIs and their students, who serve as role models in science careers. In addition, cyber infrastructure will allow groups of educators to interact remotely with V2 researchers and experience visualizations of weather data. The film and ancillary materials will be translated into Spanish. The project serves as a model for the dissemination of the methods and results of a specific major NSF hard-science research endeavor to the general public through ISE products and activities. The goal of the project is for the audience to increase their knowledge and understanding of the scientific process, learn what meteorologists do, what technologies are used in meteorology and weather science and the factors and forces in meteorological events. It is intended that young audience members will also develop and interest in weather science and potential careers in science and engineering. In the first five years of the film\'s release, the audience is anticipated at 7 million plus. In addition, the live outreach events are expected to engage approximately 40,000-60,000 individuals.
Future Space is an educational but fun pair of planetarium programs, targeted at middle school students and then general public, to show that NASA is still in the space business! The lead institution is the Louisiana Art and Science Museum with lead production at the Houston Museum of Natural Science and science and program review through Rice University. The program has produced one excellent planetarium show "We Choose Space!" which covers the history of the space program including building the International Space Station (ISS), and actual images from our fisheye lens inside the ISS. It has been licensed to over a dozen theaters around the world and is also available for free viewing through YouTube, with a free downloadable Educator Guide. It has been translated into Spanish, Hindi, and Teluga and is being translated into Turkish. A second show "The Gravity Factor", which discusses how humans might in the future visit and exploit the planets, is being completed now. It uses surface gravity as a common theme. A dome cover was created to represent the ISS Cupola from the outside.
A Fulldome Planetarium Show for Space Science: A Pilot Project was designed to immerse and engage middle school students (grades 5-8) in space exploration, comparative planetology and the importance of sustainability on our own planet. Morehead Planetarium and Science Center at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill led the project, which involved the development of a 27 minute fulldome digital planetarium show and supporting curricula. The project included advisors from NASA JPL, UNC’s Physics and Astronomy Department and the Wake County North Carolina Public School System. The show draws on discoveries by the Mars Exploration Rovers, Hubble Space Telescope and other NASA missions to compare and contrast geological, atmospheric, and other physical characteristics of the places visited by the show's main characters. The aims of the show are to provide an engaging learning experience that helps students understand the criteria used to classify Solar System bodies and appreciate the environmental conditions needed to support life as we know it. Further, the show aims to communicate why Earth - with a balance of systems and resources found nowhere else - is an "amazing oasis" in our Solar System. The Standards-Based Learning Activities for Middle School support and extend the content of the Solar System Odyssey show by providing clear, detailed ideas for pre- and post- visit lessons. The lessons center on Teaching about Technology Design, Integrating Science and Language Arts, Teaching about Environmental Systems and include science experiments, creative writing and vocabulary exercises, discussion and engineering design challenges. The lessons reference specific NASA missions, and some of the activities are modeled directly after previously produced NASA educational materials. The show and curricular materials have been translated and are available in Spanish.
The WGBH Educational Foundation together with the Association of Computing Machinery (ACM) and dozens of partners, proposes a major new initiative to reshape the image of computing among college-bound high school students, with a special focus on Latina girls and African-American boys. Image is seen as an important factor in the lack of interest in computing majors among high school and college students, who often see computer scientists as geeks and nerds with boring jobs and equally boring lives. Latina girls and African-American boys--among the most underrepresented groups in computing--represent particularly important and challenging audiences. The New Image for Computing project will research and design a "communications make-over"--a new set of messages that will accurately and positively portray the field and will be widely tested for their emotional appeal to and intellectual connection with the targeted audiences. Experienced marketing professionals will help create the messaging campaign using proven marketing and communications strategies. WGBH, a leading producer of programming for public television and non-broadcast educational media, is uniquely positioned to lead this initiative, as they have a current, similar project called Engineer Your Life that aims to encourage academically prepared high school girls to consider engineering as an attractive option for both post-secondary education and as a career choice.
The youth-based ITEST proposal, Invention, Design, Engineering and Art Cooperative (IDEA), will provide 100 students in grades 8-12 from the East Side of St. Paul, Minnesota with IT experiences in engineering and design. The content focus is mechanical and electrical engineering, such as product design, electronics, and robotics with an emphasis on 21st century job skills, including skills in advanced areas of microcontrollers, sensors, 3-D modeling software, and web software development for sharing iterative engineering product design ideas and maintaining progress on student product development. These technologies are practical and specific to careers in engineering and standards for technological literacy. During the three-year project period, a scaffolding process will be used to move students from exploratory activities in Design Teams in the 8th and 9th grades to paid employment experiences in grades 10-12 as part of Invention Crews. All design and product invention work will be directly connected to solving problems for local communities, including families and local businesses. For grades 8 and 9, students will receive 170 total contact hours per year and for grades 10-12, 280 contact hours per year. The participant target goal is 75% participation by girls, and African-American and Latino youth. Students participating in this project are situated within the country's most diverse urban districts with students speaking more than 103 languages and dialects. The schools targeted by this project average 84% of students receiving free or reduced price lunches, and have a population with 81% falling below proficiency in the Grade 8/11 Math MCA-II Test. To achieve the project goals of recruiting underrepresented students, and supporting academic transitions from middle and high school to college and university, the project team aggregated an impressive group of project partners that include schools, colleges, universities, and highly experienced youth and community groups, technology businesses that will provide mentoring of students and extensive involvement by parent and family services. Every partner committed to the project has a longstanding and abiding commitment to serving students from economically challenged areas.
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TEAM MEMBERS:
Anika WardKristen MurrayRachel GatesDavid Gundale
This project is making enhancements to two existing websites, the Black Hole Encyclopedia and the Spanish version Enciclopedia de Agujeros Negros. The original websites were created by the PI under his NSF CAREER grant. The enhancements include 20 additional black holes in the Directory section, new listings in the Popular Culture section, profiles of six leading black hole researchers (including the PI), audio podcasts, a new section on the history of black hole research, and extensive graphics and animations. The evaluation of the website is expected to add to the informal science education community's knowledge of how the internet is being used to support science learning.
WNET is producing "The Human Spark," a multimedia project that includes a four-part television series (4 x 60 min) for national primetime broadcast on PBS, innovative outreach partnerships with museums, an extensive Web site and outreach activities, including a Spanish-language version and companion book. Hosted by Alan Alda, "The Human Spark" will explore the intriguing questions: What makes us human? Can the human spark be found in the differences between us and our closest genetic relative -- the great apes? Is there some place or process unique to the human brain where the human spark resides? And if we can identify it, could we transfer it to machines? The programs will explore these questions through presenting cutting-edge research in a number of scientific disciplines including evolution, genetics, cognitive neuroscience, behavioral science, anthropology, linguistics, AI, robotics and computing. The series will highlight opposing views within each field, and the interdisciplinary nature of science, including its intersection with the humanities. The series will develop a new innovative format, the "muse concept", which involves pairing the host with a different scientific expert throughout each program. The outreach plan is being developed with a consortium of four leading science museums, American Museum of Natural History in New York, Museum of Science in Boston, The Exploratorium in San Francisco, and the Fort Worth Museum of Science and History, paired with their respective local public television stations. An additional six museums and local broadcasters will be chosen through an RFP process to develop local initiatives around the series. Multimedia Research and Leflein Associates will conduct formative as well as summative evaluations of the series and web.
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TEAM MEMBERS:
William GrantJared LipworthGraham CheddBarbara Flagg
The goal of this project is to extend the impact of the nationally broadcast weekly radio program, Science Friday to a new, young audience through the various new cyber-space platforms and interactive tools such as Facebook, Twitter, and Second Life as well as new emerging social networking tools. The STEM content over the course of the two year project will include a wide variety of topics in all disciplines. The relationship between art and science will also be a focus. The NPR radio broadcasts currently reach 1.3 million listeners every week, and that audience is expected to increase. In addition to that audience, this project will target a new audience of adults under the age of 35 using various cyber platforms and new social networking tools such as Second Life, Facebook, YouTube and Twitter. Audiences will also be reached through remote broadcasts from science centers and art centers around the country. Over 30 science centers will use this project's web content on their own web sites, reaching their audiences as well. The web content will be translated into Spanish and widely disseminated to Hispanic audiences. Each Friday afternoon, Ira Flatow, the PI will produce and host the nationally broadcast Science Friday radio program interviewing scientists and engineers in a lively engaging format. In addition, the Science Friday digital media team will be producing and inviting others to create and post digital content and commentary on the Science Friday web site for further dissemination through Second Life, Facebook, as well as other emerging networking platforms. The evaluation will use a quasi-experimental design to study the appeal of both the radio broadcasts and the cyber-platforms with both older and younger audiences. Proposed audience impacts include increased STEM knowledge, interest, and behaviors. Partner organizations include the Self Reliance Foundation, the New York Hall of Science, LA Theatreworks, and Tribeca Film Festival.
The Oregon Museum of Science and Industry (OMSI) will partner with the City of Portland's Office of Sustainable Development, Metro Regional Government, Portland Community College, Verde, and the Coalition for a Livable Future, to create a series of informal science education experiences on the theme of Sustainability. For this project, sustainability is defined in terms of a triple bottom line of economic, social, and environmental needs. The project responds to calls for broad environmental education of the public in response to environmental crises (such as climate change), and specific research suggesting that even museums that do provide information about such issues rarely help their visitors learn to make the comparisons necessary to make more sustainable choices. For the public audience, the project team will create a 1,500 sq. ft. bilingual (Spanish/English) exhibition to encourage the public to develop skills in making personal choices that affect the sustainability of their community. They will also create 25-40 bilingual cell phone tags that will provide listeners who dial the phone numbers with information, personal perspectives, current STEM research, invitations to contribute ideas or vote on issues, interactive phone-based activities, and links to websites, all in service of helping them make intentional and informed personal decisions on sustainability. The cell phone tags will be located at approximately 100 locations in the Portland area, including predominantly Hispanic neighborhoods, public transit locations, public works, and community projects. The team will also create a bilingual website and will offer quarterly bilingual events at the museum on the topic of sustainable living. For the professional audience, the team will create a set of tools and indicators for assessing the sustainability of exhibit-development processes, using the triple bottom line of financial, environmental, and social impacts. For example, a Green Exhibit Guide will provide resources and a checklist for exhibit development projects, and will propose field-wide standards analogous to the LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) rating system for green buildings. Regional workshops will engage exhibit developers, designers, fabricators, and administrators in using the tools in their own institutions. The project will create a coordinated set of resources to inform the public about the science of sustainability and to engage them in making informed choices in their daily lives, both in the museum and beyond. The topic of sustainability is timely and important, and the use of cell phones as a mobile technology linked to web resources and an exhibition constitute an innovative synergy of media to create impacts on a city-wide scale. The project serves underrepresented Hispanic audiences through its creation of bilingual materials, placement of cell phone tags, and community involvement in the development process. Finally, the project advances the ISE field in proposing and broadly disseminating a set of standards for green exhibit design, along with developing resources and tools for assessing sustainability. Created in collaboration with other organizations, this work has the potential to reduce the environmental impact of museums while providing highly visible examples of sustainable practices for visitors.