Space Weather Outreach

August 1st, 2008 - July 31st, 2013 | PROJECT

This project will develop a comprehensive Space Weather Outreach program to reach students, educators, and other members of the public, and share with them the discoveries from this scientific discipline. The Space Science Institute will capitalize on its prior successes and the success of other education programs to develop a comprehensive and integrated program that has the following five components: (1) the Space Weather Center website that includes online educational games; (2) Small Exhibits for Libraries, Shopping Malls, and Science Centers; (3) After-School Programs; (4) Professional Development Workshops for Educators, and (5) an innovative Evaluation and Education Research project. Its overarching goal is to inspire, engage, and educate a broad spectrum of the public and make strategic and innovative connections between informal and K-12 education communities. Partners include UC Berkeley's Space Sciences Laboratory; the American Library Association; Macerich: a mall developer with nationwide impact; and the Math, Engineering, Science Achievement program. The project brings together a creative collaboration between exhibit designers, graphic artists, formal/informal educators, and research scientists. The project spans a full spectrum of science communication strategies (formal, informal, and public outreach). The evaluation part of the project will examine how well the project elements work together and a pilot research study will explore the efficacy of online digital games for communicating complex space weather content. Results will be published and the findings presented at professional meetings and online. The three-year project is expected to impact well over two million people, including exhibit and website visitors and outreach visitors at various venues such as libraries and malls.

Project Website(s)

(no project website provided)

Project Products

http://www.spaceweathercenter.org

Team Members

Paul Dusenbery, Principal Investigator, Space Science Institute
James Harold, Co-Principal Investigator, Space Science Institute
Lisa Curtis, Co-Principal Investigator, Space Science Institute
Brad McLain, Former Co-Principal Investigator, Space Science Institute

Funders

Funding Source: NSF
Funding Program: ISE/AISL
Award Number: 0755125
Funding Amount: 864000

Tags

Audience: Educators | Teachers | Evaluators | General Public | Museum | ISE Professionals | Youth | Teen (up to 17)
Discipline: Geoscience and geography | Space science
Resource Type: Project Descriptions
Environment Type: Afterschool Programs | Community Outreach Programs | Exhibitions | Games | Simulations | Interactives | Media and Technology | Museum and Science Center Exhibits | Professional Development | Conferences | Networks | Professional Development and Workshops | Public Programs | Websites | Mobile Apps | Online Media