The Greatest Places

August 10th, 1996 - July 31st, 1999 | PROJECT

The Science Museum of Minnesota is developing, producing, and distributing a project on the geography of some of the most dynamic regions of the world. This is a joint venture between the Science Museum of Minnesota and the Fort Worth Museum of Science and History with additional support from the St. Louis Science Center. The core element of the project is a 40-minute Imax film the examines seven geographically diverse locations on earth: Madagascar Iguazu Falls The Amazon Greenland The Okavango Delta The Namib Desert The Tibetan Plateau Supporting material for the film will include: o Teacher Guide - 36 to 40 pages of hands-on science activities o Family Guide - to help parents share science and geography with children through simple, at-home activities; geography o Geography Museum Trunk - a steamer trunk filled with artifacts, specimens, activities, and resource materials available for rental to school, museums, and other groups o Greatest Places On-Line - A World Wide Web site with activities for youth and adults to explore the interrelationships of earth, air, water, and life in their local region and a "living atlas" as a forum for comparing and sharing observations with others around the world. o Summer Educator Institutes - where formal and informal educators will receive intensive training in utilizing all aspects of the project with multiple audiences. o Accessibility Guide - which outlines programs and options to provide no- or low-cost viewing for underrepresented audiences. The project will be guided by Geography for Life: The National Geography Standards and Expectations of Excellence: Curriculum Standards for Social Science. Dr. Mel Marcus, Professor of Geography at Arizona State University, will have primary responsibility for content. He will work closely with an advisory group of geographers, ecologists, and formal and informal educators. The PI and Executive Producer of the film will be Mike Day, Director and Executi ve Producer of the Science Museum of Minnesota Omnitheater and Executive Producer of seven previous Imax films.

Project Website(s)

(no project website provided)

Project Products

Summative Evaluation of "The Greatest Places"

Team Members

Mike Day, Principal Investigator, Science Museum of Minnesota
Natalie Rusk, Co-Principal Investigator, Science Museum of Minnesota
Charlie Waters, Co-Principal Investigator, Science Museum of Minnesota
Melvin Marcus, Former Co-Principal Investigator, Arizona State University
Barbara Flagg, Evaluator, Multimedia Research

Funders

Funding Source: NSF
Funding Program: ISE/AISL
Award Number: 9627062
Funding Amount: $1,198,652

Tags

Audience: Educators | Teachers | Families | General Public | Museum | ISE Professionals | Parents | Caregivers | Youth | Teen (up to 17)
Discipline: Geoscience and geography
Resource Type: Project Descriptions
Environment Type: Films and IMAX | Media and Technology