In a unique collaboration between PBS NewsHour and Indij Public Media (the parent company of ICT, formerly known as Indian Country Today), this project will put the perspectives and the reporting of Indigenous communities front and center through their co-creation of digital and broadcast segments.
Through the T523: Formative Evaluation for Educational Product Development course, our team conducted a semester-long formative evaluation for the Museum of Science, Boston (MoS) Gaia Exhibit. The Gaia Exhibit (Gaia) is a new, temporary art installation located in the MoS’s Blue Wing exhibition hall. Gaia that strives to inspire appreciation for the earth and climate change awareness. The exhibit displays imagery of the Earth’s surface on a twenty feet diameter, three-dimensional globe. Additional exhibit elements include projected questions on the floor to prompt reflection and exhibit-
‘6 Degrees of Connection’ is an informative and memorable program that combines a one-hour Science On a Sphere® interactive presentation with a follow-up creative art activity – each aspect of which encourages middle school students to think of interconnections among phenomena on the planet, including the natural world and human activity.
The ‘6 Degrees of Connection’ program was developed by the Nurture Nature Center (Easton PA) in collaboration with the Maryland Science Center (Baltimore MD) through an extensive process of developing the concept, prototypes, and final program. Lehigh
Human-induced global change has triggered the sixth major extinction event on earth with profound consequences for humans and other species. A scientifically literate public is necessary to find and implement approaches to prevent or slow species loss. Creating science-inspired art can increase public understanding of the current anthropogenic biodiversity crisis and help people connect emotionally to difficult concepts. In spite of the pressure to avoid advocacy and emotion, there is a rich history of scientists who make art, as well as art–science collaborations resulting in provocative work
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TEAM MEMBERS:
Jennifer HarrowerJennifer ParkerMartha Merson
As part of its overall effort to enhance learning in informal environments, the Advancing Informal STEM Learning (AISL) program, seeks to advance new approaches to, and evidence-based understanding of, the design and development of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) learning in informal environments. This includes providing multiple pathways for broadening access to and engagement in STEM learning experiences, advancing innovative research on and assessment of STEM learning in informal environments, and developing understandings of deeper learning by participants. In alignment with these aims, the STEM + Digital Literacies (STEM+L) project will investigate science fiction as an effective mechanism to attract and immerse adolescents (ages 10-13) from diverse cultural backgrounds in environmental and human health content and socio-scientific issues. This work is particularly novel, as the current knowledge base is limited, and largely addresses the high school level. Therefore, the results of the proposed effort could yield important findings regarding the feasibility of this activity as an effective platform for science learning and engagement for younger students. As such, STEM+L would not only advance knowledge in the field but would also contribute to a growing AISL portfolio on digital literacy and learning.
STEM+L is an early stage Innovations in Development project that will engage thirty middle school students in out of school time experiences. Over a twenty-four-week period, students will work collaboratively in groups in-person and online with their peers and field experts to design, develop, and produce STEM content rich, multimedia science fictions. The in-person learning experiences will take place on the University of Miami campus during the summer and academic year. Culminating activities include student presentations online and at a local Science Fiction Festival. The research component will employ an iterative, design-based approach. Four research questions will be explored: (a) How do students learn science concepts and multimodal digital literacies through participating in the STEM+L Academy? (b) How do students change their views in STEM related subject matter and in pursuing STEM related careers? (c) How do students participate in the STEM+L Academy? (d) How do we best support students' participation and learning of STEM+L in face-to-face and online environments? Data collection methods include video records, student-generated artifacts, online surveys, embedded assessments, interviews, and multimodal reflections. Comparative case analysis and a mixed methods approach will be employed. A rigorous evaluation will be conducted by a critical external review board. Inclusive and innovative dissemination strategies will ensure that the results of the research and program reach a broad range of audiences including both informal and formal STEM and literacy educators and researchers, learning scientists, local communities, and policy makers through national and international conference presentations, journal publications, Web2.0 resources, and community outreach activities.
Artists have used the environment as a subject forever and there is a long history of artists whose works affect peoples’ awareness of and perceptions of their natural environments. But only relatively recently have other artists become part of the modern environmental movement and of efforts to educate college students and the population at large about environmental issues. Environmental studies programs need to take advantage of this increased interest on the part of artists, and global warming provides a perfect vehicle.
Despite the developed world’s climate-controlled interiors and easy access to all kinds of fresh produce at any time of year, our lives are still dependent upon the weather and climate. With global warming, our dependence is becoming even more apparent. I am an artist working with new technologies and last year I had the opportunity to go to Antarctica for two months on a US National Science Foundation-sponsored residency where I worked alongside scientists studying the global implications of Antarctic weather and climate change. The Antarctic is unlike any other place on earth. There, I
The world, all at once, has become a small world. Not only owing to TV, satellites and the Internet that allow us to jump from side to side of our planet in a click. But also owing to a phenomenon that evokes dry lands, devastating rains, tsunamis and hurricanes, torrid summers and melting glaciers: global warming. In the heated argument on this issue with so many people talking, in the past few years also artists have made their rising voice be heard. Artists-popularisers, aware of their role and of the considerable communication potential of the art medium. Because “One salient image
Nowadays, India is experiencing a widespread diffusion of science communication activities. Public institutions, non-governmental organisations and a number of associations are busy spreading scientific knowledge not only via traditional media but also through specific forms of interaction with a varied public. This report aims to provide a historical overview of the diffusion of science communication in India, illustrating its current development and its future prospects.
The January 2013 issue includes articles and features on crowdsourcing, partnerships in natural history museums, communicating science through art, theater as climate change education, case studies on informal science education-related projects like gigapixel imaging and museum educators collaborating with scientists to engage visitors, and more.
The Great Immensity is a play with music created by the New York-based theater company, The Civilians. With support from the National Science Foundation (NSF), this production explores humans' relationship to the environment focusing on critical issues of conservation and climate change. It premiered at the Kansas City Repertory Theatre (KC Rep) from February 17 through March 18, 2012. This summative evaluation employs the Framework for Evaluating Impacts of Informal Science Education Projects (Friedman 2008) to assess the play and its ancillary programs' impact on adult and student audiences