Frontier Scientists Final Evaluation Report, 14-16

Frontier Scientists is comprised of a website and portfolio of videos created for distribution web-wide and through television broadcast. The goal of this program is to excite the general public about ongoing science in Alaska and the Arctic. This is the summary evaluation of a three-year National Science Foundation grant received by Frontier Scientists. Frontier Scientists contracted PEER Associates to conduct the evaluation. Over the course of the three years, the evaluation was focused on both formative (intended to inform and improve programming) and summative (what has the program accomplished thus far) efforts. The foci of this evaluation were the following: program implementation - an investigation of how the project was in fact implemented on the ground, including formative recommendations for program implementation activities; and program outcomes, including: a) the efficacy of scientist video-training workshops (Years 1 and 2); b) video viewer changes in interest, awareness, knowledge, and attitudes about Alaska/Arctic science (Years 1, 2, and 3); and c) website and video use (Years 1 and 2).