This report from the National Research Council explores how learning changes the physical structure of the brain, how existing knowledge affects what people notice and how they learn, the amazing learning potential of infants, and the relationship between classroom learning and learning in everyday settings such as community and the workplace. It identifies learning needs and opportunities for teachers and provides a realistic look at the role of technology in education.
In 1831 Michael Faraday built a small generator that produced electricity, but a generation passed before an industrial version was built, then another 25 years before all the necessary accoutrements for electrification came into place—power companies, neighborhood wiring, appliances (like light bulbs) that required electricity, and so on. But when that infrastructure finally took hold, everything changed—homes, work places, transportation, entertainment, architecture, what we ate, even when we went to bed. Worldwide, electricity became a transformative medium for social practices. In quite
There is a growing call for greater public involvement in establishing science and technology policy, in line with democratic ideals. A variety of public participation procedures exist that aim to consult and involve the public, ranging from the public hearing to the consensus conference. Unfortunately, a general lack of empirical consideration of the quality of these methods arises from confusion as to the appropriate benchmarks for evaluation. Given that the quality of the output of any participation exercise is difficult to determine, the authors suggest the need to consider which aspects
This article briefly outlines the unique evaluation strategy developed by staff at the Science Museum in London as part of the £50 million Wellcome Wing expansion project. The project aimed to produce "visit-centered" exhibitions that illustrate the impact of contemporary science and technology on ordinary people's lives.
This award is for a Science and Technology Center devoted to the emerging area of nanobiotechnology that involves a close synthesis of nano-microfabrication and biological systems. The Nanobiotechnology Center (NBTC) features a highly interdisciplinary, close collaboration between life scientists, physical scientists, and engineers from Cornell University, Princeton University, Oregon Health Sciences University, and Wadsworth Center of the New York State Health Department. The integrating vision of the NBTC is that nanobiotechnology will be the genesis of new insights into the function of biological systems, and lead to the design of new classes of nano- and microfabricated devices and systems. Biological systems present a particular challenge in that the diversity of materials and chemical systems for biological applications far exceeds those for silicon-based technology in the integrated-circuit industry. New fabrication processes appropriate for biological materials will require a substantial expansion in knowledge about the interface between organic and inorganic systems. The ability to structure materials and pattern surface chemistry at small dimensions ranging from the molecular to cellular scale are the fundamental technologies on which the research of the NBTC is based. Nanofabrication can also be used to form new analytical probes for interrogating biological systems with unprecedented spatial resolution and sensitivity. Three unifying technology platforms that foster advances in materials, processes, and tools underlie and support the research programs of the NBTC: Molecules of nanobiotechnology; Novel methods of patterning surfaces for attachment of molecules and cells to substrates; and Sensors and devices for nanobiotechnology. Newly developed fabrication capabilities will also be available through the extensive resources of the Cornell Nanofabrication Facility, a site of the NSF National Nanofabrication Users Network. The NBTC will be an integrated part of the educational missions of the participating institutions. NBTC faculty will develop a new cornerstone graduate course in nanobiotechnology featuring nanofabrication with an emphasis on biological applications. Graduate students who enter the NBTC from a background in engineering or biology will cross-train in the other field by engaging in a significant level of complementary course work. Participation in the NBTC will prepare them with the disciplinary depth and cross-disciplinary understanding to become next generation leaders in this emerging field. An undergraduate research experience program with a strong mentoring structure will be established, with emphasis on recruiting women and underrepresented minorities into the program. Educational outreach activities are planned to stimulate the interest of students of all ages. One such activity partnered with the Science center in Ithaca is a traveling exhibition for museum showings on the subject of nano scale size. National and federal laboratories and industrial and other partners will participate in various aspects of the NBTC such as by hosting interns, attendance at symposia and scientist exchanges. Partnering with the industrial affiliates will be emphasized to enhance knowledge transfer and student and postdoctoral training. This specific STC award is managed by the Directorate for Engineering in coordination with the Directorates for Biological Sciences, Mathematical and Physical Sciences, and Education and Human Resources.
Science Under Sail: Russia's Great Voyages to America 1728-1867 opened in May 2000 at the Anchorage Museum of History and Art (AMHA) for a five-month run. Developed by Curator Barbara Sweetland Smith and designed by Presentation Design Group, Science Under Sail was a 5,340-square-foot exhibition consisting of 44 elements, including text and graphic panels, cases with artifacts and specimens, audio stations, ship models, dioramas, and interactive elements. Overhead banners separated the exhibition into five sections: Why did they sail? Where did they go? How did they get there? What did they
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TEAM MEMBERS:
Beverly SerrellAnchorage Museum of History and Art
The Tech Museum of Innovation will fabricate, install, and evaluate a 6,800 square foot exhibition. Through approximately 66 interactive exhibit experiences, visitors will discover how basic science is applied in practical, real-life circumstances for the design and engineering of advanced technologies. An array of educational programs has been designed to appeal to a diverse audience with a variety of interests and learning styles. Demonstrations, hands-on activities, and interviews (online and/or multimedia) with nationally recognized innovators will highlight innovation as a complex process involving careful preparation, use of the scientific method, the ability to problem solve and make connections, and luck.
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TEAM MEMBERS:
Dan WodarcykJon BetthauserEmily RoutmanSusan WagemanWayne LaBar
The Exploratorium will develop a 6000 sq. f.t exhibit Seeing: The Interaction of Physiology, Culture, and Technology . As the first exhibit and program development project of their multiyear initiative "Refocusing on the Floor," this permanent exhibit will consist of approximately 60 new and redesigned exhibits organized into six sections: Seeing Central, Light and Images, Process of Seeing, Seeing Things Differently, Extending Our Vision, and Deconstructing What We See. Visitors will develop their skills at seeing, noticing, and visual thinking, will become more conscious of visual information in daily life, be exposed to current research on vision and visual cognition, be given opportunities to investigate the social and cultural influences on seeing, and be lead to the realization that seeing, interpreting, and understanding visual information are basic to the conduct of science. New partnerships will be developed with community-based organizations that will promote new audiences for the Exploratorium as well as enhance the viewpoints of the participating staff members. The activities will address the National Science Standards in terms of the process skills that are identified and will reintroduce visual thinking skills into the activities linking the exhibit with the formal education's curriculum. Additional workshops and professional dissemination activities will be included in the overall project.
With this planning grant, the staff of the Bucks County Historical Society will work with a group of museum professionals and community representatives to develop plans for interactive exhibits that have science and math content that will be placed in an outdoor park. They want visitors to learn about the science, history, and aesthetics of early American hand tools and technology by experiencing various hands-on activities. The planning activities will include meetings of the planning committees, front-end evaluation, and the testing of some prototype activities. At the end of the twelve month planing period they will have 1) a better understanding of their audience and their knowledge of the science and technology to be presented in the exhibit, 2) a schematic design for the activities to be included in the park, 3) plans for complementary educational activities, and 4) results of prototype testing of selected activities.
The Self Reliance Foundation, the fiscal agent for the Hispanic Radio Network, is producing a weekly, live, one-hour Spanish radio talk show. The show would introduce audiences to current breakthroughs in the sciences through science updates, interviews with research scientists and educators, and audience call-ins. The editorial plan is that approximately 20% of the topics for the interview/call-in part of the show will fall within five general categories: Breakthroughs in Science, Opportunities in Science, Science and the Environment, Science and Health, and Technology. The PI would be Jeff Kline, President of the Self Reliance Foundation. The Producer and Co-Project Director would be Javier Sierra, the Washington, DC, Bureau Chief for the Self Reliance Foundation. They would work closely with an advisory committee of approximately 15 Hispanic scientists and heads of organizations serving the Hispanic communities.
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TEAM MEMBERS:
Robert RussellJeff KlineJose AponteIsabel BenemelisJavier Sierra
The Louisville Science Center will develop "'The World We Create' -- a Traveling Exhibit." This project will develop two traveling version exhibitions (approximately 2,500 sq. ft. each) based on the programs of the highly successful permanent 12,500 sq. ft. exhibition "The World We Create," funded by NSF. One exhibit copy will travel nationally to small and medium-sized science centers throughout the United States over a three-year period, filling a need for quality traveling exhibits and reaching an audience of 300,000 to 500,000 people. The second exhibit copy will travel to rural areas of Kentucky to be hosted by schools, public libraries or community colleges, reaching an audience of 150,000 to 200,000 students and adults.
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TEAM MEMBERS:
Theresa MatteiGail BeckerNancy Potoczak
Ways of Knowing, Inc. is developing "The Writing Project," two one-hour television documentary programs about the science (the archeology and written history, anthropology, and cognitive science) of writing systems and, at the same time, about "creative writing," from cuneiform tablets to e:mail. The programs will show how writing is a different thing from speech, and how it did not evolve, like speech, but had to be invented. The goal of the project is to inform a wide, general audience about the most important technological invention since the beginning of civilization, to introduce them to the science of writing systems (grammatology), and to create an original "Introduction to Writing" for colleges and high schools. During this planning phase, the staff will conduct the research needed to bring order and focus to the topic and develop a treatment for presenting the topic in the two films. The PI and his colleagues would draw upon the wisdom of numerous experts in the field of science of writing including three world renowned scholars: William Bright, University of Colorado, Professor Emeritus, UCLA, and editor of "Written Language and Literacy;" Peter Daniels, author, scholar, lecturer on grammatology, and editor of "The World's Writing Systems;" and Victor Mair, Professor of Chinese at U-Penn. On the literary side, writers to be interviewed in the planning phase include Kurt Vonnegut, Elmore Leonard, and Helen Vendler. Specific costs involved in the nine-month planning phase include travel; producer, writer, and researcher fees; fees to consultants; and mini conferences of experts.