October 1st, 2016 - July 31st, 2021 | PROJECT
Life on the Edge will be a 1,500-sq-ft traveling exhibition to engage museum guests with space, space exploration, and the search for life beyond our home planet through the lens of Earth's extremophiles. The exhibition will explore life forms in extreme, harsh environments on Earth, and how studying these creatures informs the search for extraterrestrial life and habitable environments within and beyond our solar system. This exhibition will provide open-ended challenges and hands-on activities that utilize NASA research and educational materials to inspire elementary-aged youth ages 5-11 and their families. Based in Ithaca, NY, Sciencenter will focus the tour on small, rural museums, including SpectrUM Discovery Area (Missoula, MT), Flathead Reservation (MT), Science Zone (Casper, WY), and Imagination Place Children's Museum (Gadsden, AL). Schools and other community partners of the host museums will be leveraged in presenting family science nights, field trips, and facilitated science programs. These activities will provide additional opportunities for learners to increase their knowledge of core STEM content and science-process skills related to astronomy and astrobiology. In this institutional engagement project, Sciencenter will partner with (1) Cornell University's Department of Astronomy throughout the 5-year grant period to develop the scientific content and to ensure that content remains current and relevant with up-to-date NASA research, and (2) the University of Montana's SpectrUM Discovery Area, who will serve as the STEM outreach hub for the region, including outreach with youth of the Flathead Reservation. The expected short-term outcomes for youth ages 5-11, after visiting Life on the Edge are (1) 75% of participants will have increased understanding of basic principles of astrobiology and astronomy, along with the breadth of NASA scientific research and missions, and (2) 50% of participants will have increased awareness of career possibilities in STEM, specifically astrobiology, astronomy, and related space sciences.
Project Website(s)
(no project website provided)
Project Products
https://www.sciencenter.org/life-on-the-edge.html
Life on the Edge Summative Evaluation Report
Team Members
Michelle Kortenaar, Principal InvestigatorAlexander Hayes, Co-Principal Investigator, Cornell University
Lisa Kaltenegger, Co-Principal Investigator, Harvard College Observatory
Holly Truitt, Co-Principal Investigator, University of Montana
Adrienne Testa, Co-Principal Investigator
Charlie Trautmann, Former Principal Investigator, Sciencenter
Funders
Funding Source: NASA
Funding Program: CP4SMPVC+
Award Number: NNX16AM22G
Funding Amount: $1,250,000
Tags
Access and Inclusion: Rural
Audience: Elementary School Children (6-10) | Families | Middle School Children (11-13) | Museum | ISE Professionals | Pre-K Children (0-5)
Discipline: Ecology | forestry | agriculture | Life science | Space science
Resource Type: Project Descriptions
Environment Type: Exhibitions | Museum and Science Center Exhibits