June 9th, 2021 | RESEARCH
As several recent National Academies of Sciences reports have highlighted, greater science communication research is needed on 1) communicating chemistry, and 2) building research-practice partnerships to advance communication across science issues. Here we report our insights in both areas, gathered from a multi-year collaboration to advance our understanding of how to communicate about chemistry with the public. Researchers and practitioners from science museums across the U.S. partnered with academic social scientists in science communication to develop and conduct multi-strand data collections on chemistry communication and informal education. Our focus was on increasing interest in, the perceived relevance of, and self-efficacy concerning chemistry through hands-on activities and connecting chemistry to broader themes concerning everyday life and societal impacts. We outline challenges and benefits of the project that future collaborations can gain from and illustrate how our strands of work complemented each other to create a more complete picture of public perceptions of chemistry.
Document
Kollmann-JCOM_2004_2021_N01-ChemAttitudes-museum-university-partnership-for-NSF.pdf
Team Members
Elizabeth Kollmann, Co-Principal Investigator, Museum of Science, BostonAllison Anderson, Evaluator, Museum of Science, Boston
Marta Beyer, Evaluator, Museum of Science, Boston
Owen Weitzman, Evaluator, Museum of Science, Boston
Marjorie Bequette, Evaluator, Science Museum of Minnesota
Gretchen Haupt, Evaluator, Science Museum of Minnesota
Hever Velázquez, Evaluator, Science Museum of Minnesota
Emily Howell, Evaluator, University of Wisconsin - Madison
Dietram Scheufele, Evaluator, University of Wisconsin - Madison
Shiyu Yang, Evaluator, University of Wisconsin - Madison
Citation
Identifier Type: DOI
Identifier: doi.org/10.22323/2.20040801
Identifier Type: ISSN
Identifier: 1824-2049
Publication: Journal of Science Communication
Volume: 20
Number: 4
Funders
Funding Source: NSF
Funding Program: AISL
Award Number: 1612482
Funding Amount: $2,930,748.00
Related URLs
Tags
Audience: General Public | Museum | ISE Professionals | Scientists
Discipline: Chemistry | Social science and psychology
Resource Type: Peer-reviewed article | Research Products
Environment Type: Museum and Science Center Programs | Professional Development | Conferences | Networks | Public Programs | Resource Centers and Networks