The Review of NISE Network Evaluation Findings: Years 1-5 seeks to investigate the work of the NISE Network since its inception in 2005 and provide an overarching summary of NISE Net Public Impacts evaluation efforts to the NISE Network and the broader ISE field. This Review is divided into six chapters, representing the following themes: Connecting ISE Professionals with Nano Informal Science Education; Connecting University-Affiliated Individuals with Nano Informal Science Education;Engaging the Public in Learning about Nano through NISE Network Educational Products;Engaging the Public with
Visitors to the Museum of Life and Science (MLS) in Durham can now explore acres of new exhibition space, called BioQuest Woods. To get to BioQuest Woods, visitors walk outside and away from the Museum building a quarter of a mile, passing Loblolly Park, the Farmyard, the trail to the Butterfly House, and Grayson's Cafe. Upon approaching BioQuest Woods, they encounter a fork in the trail where they can choose to enter one of two exhibition areas: Catch the Wind or Explore the Wild. On the backside of either exhibition area, people can choose to take a full loop (which is a total of a half-mile
Nanoscience is an emerging scientific field, and therefore an increasing amount of funding is flowing into nanoscience and nanotechnology research, including money from the federal government. Several studies of public understanding and public attitudes toward nanoscience have shown that most of the public is generally uninterested in and unmotivated to learn about nanoscale science and technology3. Because this emerging interdisciplinary field of science offers so much promise, and because it will have an increasing presence in everyday life, the NSF is committed to increasing public
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TEAM MEMBERS:
Mark St. JohnJenifer V. HelmsNanoscale Informal Science Education (NISE) NetworkPam CastoriJudy HirabayashiLaurie LopezMichelle Phillips
During 2005-2008, the Nanoscale Informal Science Education Network researched, designed, implemented, and evaluated public deliverables covering various aspects of nanoscience, nanotechnology, and nanoengineering. Working with four NISE Net museums, Multimedia Research used a web-based post-survey design to assess nanotechnology awareness in a sample of museum visitors exposed to nano-topic programs, exhibits, forums and activities (treatment group) compared with a sample of museum members who were not exposed to the deliverables (control group). Exposure to nano-topic deliverables appears to
Suitcase Science is a community-inspired theatre program and exhibit that highlights many scientific disciplines, including anthropology, biology, chemistry, geology, sociology and material culture. Its development was funded through a Legacy grant from the state of Minnesota. To help generate topics and ideas to include in the Suitcase Science show and exhibit, SMM held several workshops in communities around the state. SMM staff invited local community members to bring two objects of value, meaning, or significance to the workshop and to share their story about them. These stories and
PROGRAM EVALUATION OF Climate Change and the Oceans Initiative: From Awareness to Action [2011] Monterey Bay Aquarium, Monterey, CA The Monterey Bay Aquarium contracted Randi Korn & Associates, Inc. (RK&A) to evaluate four new programs that were part of the Climate Change and the Ocean Initiative: From Awareness to Action. To increase awareness of the impact of climate change on the oceans, the Aquarium developed three live shows and trained guides to engage visitors in discussions about the issue. The guide-visitor interactions occurred in Hot Pink Flamingos: Stories of Hope in a Changing Sea
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TEAM MEMBERS:
Randi Korn & Associates, Inc.Monterey Bay Aquarium
The Los Angeles Zoo and Botanical Gardens contracted Randi Korn & Associates, Inc. (RK&A) to conduct a summative evaluation of the California Condor Rescue Zone (CCRZ), an immersive, facilitated play space designed for elementary school-age children. The summative evaluation explored how well CCRZ achieved its goals for children and adults. How did we approach this study? RK&A conducted naturalistic observations and exit interviews over a six-day period in February and March, 2011. Naturalistic observations documented the behavior of visitors and Zoo staff/volunteers in California Condor
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TEAM MEMBERS:
Randi Korn & Associates, Inc.Los Angeles Zoo and Botanical Gardens
The Oakland Museum of California (OMCA) contracted Randi Korn & Associates, Inc. (RK&A) to conduct a summative evaluation of the reinstallation of the Gallery of California History (History Gallery). Timing and tracking observations were used to examine visitors' experiences in the reinstalled History Gallery. A total of 108 observations were collected in February and March 2011. RK&A conducted timing and tracking observations of visitors to the History Gallery. Trained data collectors unobtrusively observed visitors and documented time spent in the exhibition overall, exhibits stopped at, and
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TEAM MEMBERS:
Randi Korn & Associates, Inc.Oakland Museum of California
The BJC SportsWorks exhibition, a collaboration between the Saint Louis Science Center and BJC HealthCare, ran from June 2, 2006, through March 25, 2007, in the Science Center's Montgomery Bank Exploradome. The overall goal for the exhibition was to stimulate visitors to lead healthier lives by creating an engaging, fun, and memorable educational experience. The purpose of this summative evaluation is to assess the overall impact of the exhibition and to provide recommendations for future potential installations, with a focus on the visitor experience in the exhibition. Key issues examined in
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TEAM MEMBERS:
Elisa IsraelKaty LoftonPenny CraneSaint Louis Science Center
The Science Museum of Minnesota (SMM) contracted with Randi Korn & Associates, Inc. (RK&A) to evaluate Disease Detectives, a traveling exhibition made possible by a Science Education Partnership Award from the National Center for Research Resources, a component of the National Institutes of Health. RK&A conducted a summative evaluation to investigate how visitors experienced the exhibition and how effectively the exhibition conveyed information about infectious diseases. Data were collected through standardized questionnaires and in-depth interviews.
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TEAM MEMBERS:
Randi Korn & Associates, Inc.Science Museum of Minnesota
The Science Museum of Minnesota (SMM) contracted Randi Korn & Associates, Inc. (RK&A) to conduct a summative evaluation of Playing with Time, a traveling exhibition funded by the National Science Foundation. Data collection took place at SMM, the exhibition's first venue, in the spring and summer of 2002. The evaluation documents the scope of the exhibition's impact and effectiveness through timing and tracking observations and exit interviews.
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TEAM MEMBERS:
Randi Korn & Associates, Inc.Science Museum of Minnesota
Randi Korn & Associates, Inc. (RK&A) was contracted by the Science Museum of Minnesota (SMM) to evaluate Tissues of Life, an exhibition funded by the National Institutes of Health. Data collection took place at the SMM in July and August 2004. The evaluation documents the impact and effectiveness of the exhibition through timing and tracking observations and exit interviews.
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TEAM MEMBERS:
Randi Korn & Associates, Inc.Science Museum of Minnesota