Assessing the Impact of a Visit to a Zoo or Aquarium: A Multi-institutional Research Project will create a functional taxonomy of zoo/aquarium visitors' entering knowledge, attitudes and behaviors. This taxonomy, in conjunction with data about the specific experiences visitors have during their visit, will enable investigators to understand and predict the contribution of zoos and aquariums to the public understanding of animals and their conservation. The results will clarify the role of zoos and aquariums as centers of informal learning and point to ways to strengthen their educational impact. The AZA convened a national advisory committee that commissioned and completed a thorough review, confirming a critical need to conduct more research, particularly research that attempts to ask broad questions, collect data systematically, and includes sufficient number and types of institutions to permit community-wide generalizations. Twelve AZA institutions of various sizes, geographic regions and types will participate in the study. The net result of the study will be a descriptive model of zoo and aquarium visitor learning experiences and development of a set of diagnostic tools to help zoo and aquaria staff understand and enhance the nature and extent of their public impact.
National Musical Arts is requesting a planning grant of $50,000 to conduct initial planning and research toward the development of a traveling exhibition and related educational programming on the subject of biomusic -- the musical sounds produced by living things. The work will be performed by the BioMusic project, a program of National Musical Arts, in collaboration with the Association of Science Technology Centers and a national team of informal science educators. The goal of the project is to develop a 2,500 square-foot traveling exhibit and related programs targeted to md-sized science centers, zoos and aquaria across the country. During the proposed one-year planning phase, the Biomusic Project and ASTC will work with an interdisciplinary team of scientists, musicians, exhibit developers and educators to understand the current state of biomusic research; to identify concepts and phenomena that could make strong visitor experiences; and to develop initial plans for the exhibit and programs. The result of the work of the planning phase will include a Biomusic Groundwork Report, a Biomusic Program presented at the annual ASTC Conference and a detailed Exhibition Prospectus.