The Art of Science Learning (AoSL) is a National Science Foundation-funded initiative that explores innovation at the intersection of art, science and learning, using the arts to spark creativity in science education and foster the development of an innovative 21st Century STEM workforce. Our current project, funded by NSF grant DRL-1224111 (“Integrating Informal STEM and … Read more
Be A Scientist! (BAS) is a five-year, full-scale development project designed to gather and disseminate data on the implementation and scalability of an informal science education program for underserved communities. In the BAS model, undergraduate engineering students facilitate STEM learning through workshops and other cost-effective strategies targeted at underserved families with children in grades 1-5. … Read more
Professional networks can provide a supportive, common framework for increasing capacity and development of informal science education (ISE) resources and professionals. In this Perspectives post, Selena Connealy, coordinator of the New Mexico Informal Science Education Network (NM ISE Net) describes how the network got started, what it is doing for its diverse ISE professional members … Read more
Human + is a 2,500-sq. ft. traveling engineering exhibition developed by the New York Hall of Science (NYSCI) in collaboration with the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry (OMSI) and the Quality of Life Technology Research Center (QoLT) at Carnegie Mellon University and the University of Pittsburgh. Human+ is funded by a National Science Foundation … Read more
This article was co-written by Emlyn Koster, Director of the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences and Adjunct Professor at North Carolina State University (NCSU), and Jason Cryan, Deputy Museum Director for Research and Collections at the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences and Adjunct Professor at NCSU. Museums of natural history, the natural sciences, … Read more
The Ohio State University (OSU), one of the country’s largest public research universities, and COSI, one of the nation’s largest and most innovative science centers, have formed a deep partnership. Since the 2006 conceptualization and first agreement, COSI & OSU have created a “center of science” at COSI where research, science, and university outreach are … Read more
This article was co-written by Emlyn Koster, Director of the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences and Adjunct Professor at North Carolina State University (NCSU), and Jason Cryan, Deputy Museum Director for Research and Collections at the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences and Adjunct Professor at NCSU. Collections-based museums of nature and science [1], … Read more
This article was written by Carol Lynn Alpert, Director, Strategic Projects, Museum of Science, Boston, and co-director of the NSF Center for Integrated Quantum Materials (NSF-DMR 1231319) headquartered at Harvard University. As one of the founders of the Nanoscale Informal Science Education Network, I’ve spent the past ten years encouraging science museum folks to partner with nearby … Read more
This article was co-written by Ellen Mappen, Senior Scholar & Project Director, Informal Science Education Partnership Programs at the National Center for Science & Civic Engagement, Washington, DC, and Hailey Chenevert, Project Coordinator at the National Center for Science & Civic Engagement. SENCER-ISE (Science Education for New Civic Engagements and Responsibilities – Informal Science Education) … Read more
This article was co-written by Sciencenter staff Michelle Kortenaar, Director of Education, and Alli Sribarra, Grant Administrator. Three years ago, the Sciencenter, a hands-on science museum in Ithaca, New York, was approached by researchers from Cornell University’s Early Childhood Cognition Lab (ECC Lab) who were in search of a real-world setting in which to study … Read more