The Smithsonian Institution Astrophysical Obervatory will develop the Black Hole Experiment Gallery, a 2,500 sq ft traveling exhibition that will let visitors explore recent breakthroughs in astronomical research on black holes. Intended audience impacts are to deepen understanding of the nature of scientific discovery, enhance interest in and knowledge of our unfolding universe, and foster appreciation of a broader view of science. The exhibition will be accompanied by a portfolio of educational materials and programs, and website. The exhibition will provide a testbed of emerging networking and personalization technologies. Based on partnerships with community-based programs in Oakland, Baltimore, and Boston, underserved teens will assist in the development of exhibits and programs. A video case study for science museum staff professional development will document the exhibition development and decision-making processes used. This exhibition will travel to 9 to 12 science centers on a national tour, reaching some 1.5 million visitors.
Presentation on NSF grant DRL-0337354 (""TexNET: Texas Network for Exhibit-based Learning and Teaching"") presented at the CAISE Convening on Organizational Networks, November 17th, 2011."") presented at the CAISE Convening on Organizational Networks, November 17th, 2011.
This report includes six separate formative evaluations conducted to inform the design and development of the deliverables for the 3D Visualization Tools for Enhancing Awareness, Understanding and Stewardship of Freshwater Ecosystems project. Deliverables were tested with both students and general visitor groups, with a focus on groups including late elementary and middle school children. Many different components were tested, including prototype versions of 3D visualizations, high-tech interactive experiences, apps on tablets and phones, and table top exhibits. Results are reported in each of
In 2008, COSI received funding from the Institute of Museum and Library Services to develop the exhibit Labs in Life (LG-26-08-0146). The development of the Labs in Life embodies a unique model for collaboration, with active researchers interested in research outcomes while simultaneously serving as models for the public, and science center staff concurrently gleaning new and changing content for exhibits and programs. While each partner is motivated by many different goals, all agree that they are interested in stimulating public interest in and understanding of science and technology
DATE:
TEAM MEMBERS:
Institute for Learning InnovationJoe E Heimlich
COSI developed and installed a set of exhibits to complement the health sciences research being conducted by Ohio State University researchers in four visible lab areas within the Life exhibit area at COSI. Specifically, the interactive experience platform was designed to serve as an interface between the labs and the public to provide space for community educational programming on nutrition and physical activity. The purpose of this evaluation was to identify problems with the new exhibits that can be corrected through remediation. Specifically, a timing and tracking study was conducted to
The National Science Foundation (NSF) awarded an Informal Science Education (ISE) grant, since renamed Advancing Informal STEM Learning (AISL) to a group of institutions led by two of the University of California, Davis’s centers: the Tahoe Environmental Research Center (TERC) and the W.M. Keck Center for Active Visualization in Earth Sciences (KeckCAVES). The purpose of the evaluation was to gather feedback from museum professionals and the general public about the proposed 3D visualization project and its related components. Additionally, the study aimed to assess the current understanding
DATE:
TEAM MEMBERS:
University of California, DavisSteven Yalowitz
The Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery (F|S) contracted Randi Korn & Associates, Inc. (RK&A) to study its visitors with two goals in mind: first, to collect current data about F|S visitors, including demographics and visit characteristics and second, to explore visitors’ experiences at F|S, in particular, what visitors value about their F|S experiences and how visitors rate their experiences in the context of the mission statement and newly articulated impact statement. Two data collection instruments were used for the visitor study: a standardized questionnaire and an in-depth
Research shows that the main motivation of people who come to zoos is to have quality time with their families. At the Cincinnati Zoo, we have placed a strategic focus on becoming more visitor-focused, with a commitment to better understanding their needs in a free-choice learning environment. This includes tailoring interpretive exhibits to engage families, our primary audience. Made possible with funding from a Museums for America grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services, we underwent a two-year process of research, development and design, and evaluation to re-interpret the award-winning Jungle Trails exhibit with a focus on active family engagement. In Jungle Trails, guests journey along a path that winds through nearly two acres of jungle-type landscape, featuring African and Asian primates, including Sumatran orangutans, gibbons, and bonobos. The exhibit appeals to visitors' emotions and motivations through an innate connection we all have with our closest animal relatives. As they learn how primates survive in the jungle, new interpretive signage and family interactives encourage guests to wonder what it would be like if their family lived in the forest. Interactives present group challenges that our non-human primate relatives face every day. Together with their troop, guests use sticks to push a stone through a maze, test their memories to find fruit in a matching game, bang out a troop rhythm on a buttress root, and compete to see who is best at tying shoes without using their thumbs. They also try out more physical skills such as swinging across bars like a gibbon and balancing like a lemur on a mini-ropes course. Colorful and playful signage introduces guests to the animals from the first-person perspective of the animal and includes questions to prompt discussion of how the animal's life compares to their own. Interactive iPad kiosks at the orangutan, gibbon and bonobo exhibits allow them to engage deeper. Guests may choose to watch videos on taking care of the animals, read about the individual animals' personalities, learn how they can help save the species or build a super primate of their own. By the time families reach the end of the trail, they have participated in activities together that have brought them closer to their primate relatives, human and non-human. Evaluation found that families engage with the interactives as intended. When asked how they would describe Jungle Trails to a friend, the word most commonly used by guests was "fun", followed by those that indicate it was "interactive" and "educational". Once overlooked and often missed by guests, Jungle Trails is now a destination exhibit as summed up by a regular Zoo guest who noted: "I got bored with Jungle Trails. Now looking forward to coming again!" Jungle Trails received an Excellence in Exhibition Special Distinction, Exemplary Model of Creating Experiences for Social Engagement, from the American Association of Museums in 2014.
This project entails the creation of a coordinated colony of robotic bees, RoboBees. Research topics are split between the body, brain, and colony. Each of these research areas is drawn together by the challenges of recreating various functionalities of natural bees. One such example is pollination: Bees coordinate to interact with complex natural systems by using a diversity of sensors, a hierarchy of task delegation, unique communication, and an effective flapping-wing propulsion system. Pollination and other agricultural tasks will serve as challenge thrusts throughout the life of this project. Such tasks require expertise across a broad spectrum of scientific topics. The research team includes experts in biology, computer science, electrical and mechanical engineering, and materials science, assembled to address fundamental challenges in developing RoboBees. An integral part of this program is the development of a museum exhibit, in partnership with the Museum of Science, Boston, which will explore the life of a bee and the technologies required to create RoboBees.
DATE:
-
TEAM MEMBERS:
Robert WoodRadhika NagpalJ. Gregory MorrisettGu-Yeon WeiJoseph Ayers
Researchers have now acquired so much information about how the brain learns that a new academic discipline has been born, called “educational neuroscience” or “mind, brain, and education science.” This field explores how research findings from neuroscience, education, and psychology can inform our understandings about teaching and learning, and whether they have implications for educational practice. This interdisciplinary approach ensures that recommendations for applying these findings to instructional practices have a foundation in solid scientific research. It also ensures that teachers
In this interview, author and professor R. Keith Sawyer describes the importance of and interconnections among creativity, collaboration, and the science of learning. He explains that the older paradigm of schooling from 50 years ago where rote learning was predominant is no longer relevant in a knowledge-based society. We now have to prepare students for jobs that require adaptability, flexibility, and creativity. He endorses an approach to education that fosters a deeper conceptual understanding, especially through collaborative creativity. He maintains that true innovation usually comes
In this article, I review recent findings in cognitive neuroscience in learning, particularly in the learning of mathematics and of reading. I argue that while cognitive neuroscience is in its infancy as a field, theories of learning will need to incorporate and account for this growing body of empirical data.