Life on the Edge Summative Evaluation Report

Life on the Edge is a traveling exhibition focused on educating children ages 8-14 and their families about how understanding Earth’s extreme environments helps us search for life in space. Created by Sciencenter in Ithaca, NY, the big idea of the exhibition is: “our exploration of extreme environments expands our understanding of life on Earth and the possibilities for life in our solar system and beyond.” Through five unique exhibit sections, the exhibition offers visitors information, activities, and questions focused on scientific exploration and discovery, life in space, and the origins of life on Earth. 

The summative evaluation of Life on the Edge sought to understand the following: 

1. How visitors use or experience the exhibition;
2. What visitors learn or take away from the exhibition; and 
3. What impacts creating the exhibition had on the design team. 

Gathering data at two different museums, Sciencenter in Ithaca, NY and spectrUM in Missoula, MT, the summative evaluation also captured the exhibition experience for different museums’ audiences. The attached report describes the findings regarding each of these key questions. 

Through observations and interviews, the evaluation found that the exhibition Life on the Edge successfully portrays the difficulties of defining and searching for life in environments not suitable for human habitation. The content and activities are well designed for children ages 8-14 while being a bit too advanced for children ages 4-7 to navigate on their own. Visitors reported enjoying Life on the Edge, and they appreciated the variety of activities and topics explored through the exhibits.