In the last few years, a continuous series of food alerts have caught the attention of the media and the public in Europe. First, eggs and pork contaminated with dioxins; then, "mad cow" disease, while, all along in the background, a battle against genetically modified plants has been in progress. These food alerts have had complex repercussions on the perception of risks associated with food production. Experts have often been divided over these issues, and the uncertainty of scientific data has been indicated on more than one occasion as one of the factors that influence risk perception
This evaluation provides feedback from a tracking and timing study from the project "Seeing: The Interaction of Physiology, Culture, and Technology" at the Exploratorium. The evaluation concludes that Seeing is a large, complex collection of loosely related exhibit elements that attract and hold visitors’ attention well, but not exceptionally well. Yet, given the size and scope of the exhibits, a longer average time and more stops would not be expected. The individual interactive elements range from many that are modestly engaging, to some that are highly engaging, with a few exceptionally
This evaluation describes the results of three individual exhibits that were a part of the project "Seeing: The Interaction of Physiology, Culture, and Technology" at the Exploratorium. This document contains findings for "Seeing Yellow," "Peripheral Vision," and "Motion Detector."
Summer science programs held in university research facilities provide ideal opportunities for pre-college students to master new skills and renew, refresh, and enrich their interest in science. These types of programs have a positive impact on a student's understanding of the nature of science and scientific inquiry and can open a youngster's eyes to the many possible career opportunities in science. This paper describes a study of high school students enrolled in the Summer Science Academy program at the University of Rochester that investigates the program's impact on students' knowledge of
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Kerry KnoxJan MoynihanDina Markowitz
Over three years, Science Central is producing 624 television segments that will present current, ongoing research through local newscasts on ABC and NBC stations nationwide. In addition to the regular research segments, ScienCentral will produce six "sweeps" series per year focusing on important new fields of research including: nanotechnology, genetics/genomics, ocean science, global climate change and brain sciences. An advisory board of scientists, teachers, science journalists and public information officers help inform the producers about individual stories and evolving fields of research, and they provide access to scientists and field research. They also provide scientific input and check the stories for accuracy. To facilitate production and to assure that research is covered on an international basis, ScienCentral will establish a footage consortium to exchange science news video with major Canadian and European newscasters. They also will provide the news stories to science centers for use in their interactive exhibits and web sites.
KY-H.E.R.O.S. (Health Education Rural Outreach Scientists) is a health science education program that partners the largest science center in Kentucky with Science Heroes-- important regional biomedical research scientists. The Science Heroes, their stories and their studies serve as inspiration to our rural audience. The project objectives are to: (1) Convey the relevance of health science research to people's daily lives and promote awareness of healthy lifestyle choices and wellness; (2) Promote understanding of the fundamental principles of the scientifc process and inspire K-12 teachers to incorporate current research into their teaching of health science; and (3) Encourage students to pursue advanced science education and increase awareness of the wide range of health science related careers. The Science Center, working with the distinguished Science Heroes, their research teams and a group of 15 knowledgeable professional advisors will develop the new KY-H.E.R.O.S. science education program. The program will include new hands-on labs and demonstrations, teacher training workshops, career exploration activities, interactive videoconferencing distance learning links, and innovative public programs. Using museum-based exhibits and a wet lab, traveling exhibit components, telelinking (distance learning), an interactive website and printed and electronic materials, we will present information about the work of the Science Heroes and its relevance to the lives of participants. The focus of the program will change every two years to feature three different scientists and their work. A total of nine scientists will be included during the 5 year period covered by the SEPA grant. As the focus changes every two years to a different three scientists, all the programs and exhibits will be changed accordingly. KY-H.E.R.O.S. will be designed to serve audiences composed of school groups on field trips; teachers in workshops; classes in remote areas of the state participatng through videoconferencing; underserved groups including economically disadvantaged, minorities and young women; and the family audience that makes up about 60% of the Science Center's annual attendance. Formative and summative evaluation will be conducted by an outside firm to ensure effectiveness.
The overall goal of this project is to further develop and test one high-potential current health science research dissemination strategy initially prototyped as part of the SEPA Phase I development of the Museum of Science-s Current Science & Technology Center: updateable interactive digital multimedia displays on current research that can be networked to multiple locations, including science museums, libraries, and student centers. This SEPA project aims to broadly disseminate learning resources on nanomedicine research, capitalizing on the momentum provided by the new NSF-funded Nanoscale Informal Science Education Network (NISE Net), also headquartered at the Museum of Science, Boston, which has plans to place exhibits relating to nanotechnology in 100 museums by 2011. In collaboration with the NISE-Net, the SEPA-funded team will: 1) Research, write, and produce four - six multimedia stories about current nanomedicine research, including elements such as researcher profiles, interpretive animations, interactives exploring the basic science, potential for human benefit, and pathways for further inquiry, 2) Prototype an updateable and networkable software interface and a physical digital display kiosk that can serve audiences in science museums, student centers, libraries, and other public locations, 3) Evaluate the effectiveness of interface and story content and make plans for further development and distribution, and 4) Develop additional content production partnerships with research centers and media.