October 8th, 2021
In 2021, the National Science Foundation’s Advancing Informal STEM Learning (AISL) program awarded funding to a wide range of projects. The titles of these awards with links to their abstracts and the Principal Investigators’ names are listed alphabetically by project type. In 2021 that list includes: Broad Implementation, Faculty Early Career Development (CAREER) Program, Conferences, Early-concept Grants for Exploratory Research (EAGER), Innovations in Development, Literature Review, Pilot and Feasibility Studies, Research in Service to Practice, Co-funded by the NSF Division of Polar Programs, and Co-funded by AISL and other NSF Programs.
You may also use the advanced search function on InformalScience.org to sort by audience type, disciplinary content, and other tags of interest.
Broad Implementation
The Broad Implementation project type supports the expansion or reach of models, programs, technologies, assessments, resources, research, or systems that have a documented record of success, innovation, or evidence-based knowledge building. The focus is on making innovations or approaches succeed when they are implemented at a larger scale.
Sue Allen, Maine Mathematics and Science Alliance |
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Expanding a Model for Interactive Social Science Exhibits Presented in Outdoor Public Spaces |
Shawn Lani, Exploratorium |
Faculty Early Career Development (CAREER) Program
The CAREER Program is a Foundation-wide activity that offers the National Science Foundation’s most prestigious awards in support of early-career faculty who have the potential to serve as academic role models in research and education and to lead advances in the mission of their department or organization. These awards enable awardees to develop as outstanding researchers, and also as educators demonstrating commitment to teaching, learning, and dissemination of knowledge.
Susan Letourneau, New York Hall of Science |
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DeLean Tolbert Smith, Regents of the University of Michigan – Dearborn |
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Kirstin Busch, North Carolina State University |
Conferences
These projects bring together participants to address a question, issue, or topic for which collective engagement could advance field-wide thinking and approaches to learning.
John Voiklis, Knology |
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A Workshop on Assessment and Evaluation Tools for Makerspaces |
Peter Wardrip, University of Wisconsin-Madison |
A Conference on Equity, Diversity and Inclusion in Citizen Science |
Caren Cooper, North Carolina State University |
Early-concept Grants for Exploratory Research (EAGER)
These exploratory projects are working in the early stages of untested, but potentially transformative, research ideas or approaches.
Cynthia Trawick, Morehouse College |
Innovations in Development
These projects focus on and leverage the development of a product, model, tool, or resource to better understand and inform practice. Innovations take many forms and occur at different scales depending on the nature of what is being innovated (e.g. exhibits, media products, after school programs, technologies, assessments, resources, or systems for an area of STEM learning in informal environments).
Ning Wang, University of Southern California |
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Seeing the World through a Mathematical Lens: A Place-Based Mobile App for Creating Math Walks |
Candace Walkington, Southern Methodist University |
Amy Wilson-Lopez, Utah State University |
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Building Quantum Information Science Intuition through Digital Games |
Diana Franklin, University of Chicago; Danielle Harlow, University of California-Santa Barbara |
Ujima (Collective Work and Responsibility) Girls in a Robotics Leadership Project |
Harry Cheng, University of California-Davis |
Engaging Multicultural Audiences through Inclusive STEM content on YouTube |
Adam Dylewski, PBS FOUNDATION |
Cultivating Tomorrow’s Engineers through the Entertainment & Hospitality Landscape |
Emma Regentova, University of Nevada Las Vegas |
Bruno Takahashi, Michigan State University; Sunshine Menezes, University of Rhode Island |
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Filiberto Barajas-Lopez, University of Washington; Megan Bang, Northwestern University; Anna Lees, Western Washington University |
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Joy Kennedy, Education Development Center |
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Using Media and Texting to Foster STEM Learning in Low-Income and Latinx Families |
Sandra Sheppard, WNET |
Lui Hokoana, University of Hawaii |
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Nakia Williamson, Nez Perce Tribe |
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Developing Conversational Videos to Support Children’s STEM Learning and Engagement |
Mark Warschauer, University of California-Irvine |
Ryan Holifield, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee |
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Jay Gillen, Young People’s Project, Inc. |
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Charles Kopczak, California Science Center Foundation |
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Deborah Raksany, Giant Screen Films |
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Nichole Pinkard, Northwestern University; Katie Taylor, University of Washington; Barry Fishman, Regents of the University of Michigan – Ann Arbor |
Literature Review, Syntheses, or Meta-analyses
These projects focus on a question, issue, or topic of critical importance to the researchers and practitioners invested in learning outside of formal education contexts.
A Systematic Review of STEM Learning and Social-Emotional Development in Out of School Time |
Gil Noam, McLean Hospital |
Pilots and Feasibility Studies
These projects offer opportunities for practitioners and researchers to investigate issues in and approaches to informal STEM learning that include high risk strategies or methods that need exploration to inform the potential for future research and development.
Sarah Schulwitz, The Peregrine Fund |
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LaShawnda Lindsay, Wellesley College |
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Amy Bower, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution |
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Smirla Ramos-Montanez, TERC Inc |
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Patricia Townsend, Washington State University |
Research in Service to Practice
These projects focus on research that advances knowledge and the evidence base for practices, assumptions, broadening participation, or emerging educational arrangements in STEM learning in informal environments, including the science of science communication.
Edna Tan, University of North Carolina Greensboro |
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Rita Karl, Twin Cities Public Television |
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Christina Cid, The High Desert Museum |
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Tricia Zucker, The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston |
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Dionne Champion, University of Florida |
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Folashade Cromwell Solomon, TERC Inc |
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Kelly Riedinger, Oregon State University |
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David Uttal, Northwestern University; Amanda Dickes, Gulf of Maine Research Institute; Catherine Haden, Loyola University of Chicago |
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Kevin Cuff, University of California-Berkeley |
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Ronda Jenson, Northern Arizona University |
Co-funded by AISL and other NSF Programs
Collaborative Research: Advancing language research and outreach in a language museum |
Charlotte Vaughn, University of Maryland, College Park |
Vanessa Peters, Digital Promise Global |
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Christopher Wright, Drexel University |
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SCC-PG: Closed-loop Intervention to Promote a Supportive and Interactive Environment around Children |
Ou Bai, Florida International University |
Kevin Ponto, University of Wisconsin-Madison |