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The Arctic Harvest-Public Participation in Scientific Research (which encompasses the Winterberry Citizen Science program), a four-year citizen science project looking at the effect of climate change on berry availability to consumers has made measurable progress advancing our understanding of key performance indicators of highly effective citizen science programs. These indicators include preparation to participate in the program, alignment of goals...

Discussions of climate science have become more common in children's literature in recent years. Studies show that books and other media can teach children effective techniques for managing the risks they and their families face from floods, fires, excessive heat, and other weather-related disasters. However, Black voices and stories are rare within this literature, despite the fact that these disasters...

Attracting and retaining youth from all sociodemographic backgrounds in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields is a national priority for ensuring equity and diversity in the STEM workforce. Prior research recognizes that a strong science identity increases the likelihood of youth persistence in STEM, and out-of-school STEM experiences are crucial for developing and maintaining science identity. However, access to...

This project builds on two prior NSF awards that supported development of a climate change exhibit at the Natural History Museum of Utah through deep engagement with research and rigorous prototyping. Grounded in key ideas from science communication, this exhibit is designed to support new, productive types of engagement around the topic of climate change among the diverse communities of...

Despite a long history of considering and attempting to address issues of diversity, equity, accessibility, and inclusion, visitor-serving organizations such as museums, botanical gardens, and zoos tend to serve disproportionately white, able-bodied, and high-income audiences. Traditionally, efforts to address this challenge have focused on reducing barriers (cost, transportation, etc.) in order to get more people to participate in informal science...

Over the span of three months, our team at Harvard Graduate School of Education conducted a formative evaluation to assist the Museum of Science in Boston with their efforts to build a new exhibit, the Live Animal Garden. The goal of our evaluation was to determine how museum visitors responded to the museum's existing live animal exhibits and identify recommendations...

This literature review is funded in part by a grant from the National Science Foundation #1713567 and prepared for Indiana University as part of a larger project entitled Data Visualization Literacy: Research and Tools that Advance Public Understanding of Scientific Data (Dr. Katy Börner, Principal Investigator). This white paper is one component of a larger review. The larger review consists of three...

This literature review is funded in part by a grant from the National Science Foundation #1713567 and prepared for Indiana University as part of a larger project entitled Data Visualization Literacy: Research and Tools that Advance Public Understanding of Scientific Data, Dr. Katy Börner, Principal Investigator. This white paper is one of three of a larger review. The larger review...

This literature review is funded in part by a grant from the National Science Foundation #1713567 and prepared for Indiana University as part of a larger project entitled Data Visualization Literacy: Research and Tools that Advance Public Understanding of Scientific Data (Dr. Katy Börner, Principal Investigator). This white paper is one component of a larger review. The larger review consists of three...

Imagine a space filled with cardboard and endless possibilities where early engineering and creativity thrive. An inclusive makerspace that builds on design principles that work for a diversity of visitors and more museums. We’ve imagined that space over the past 10+ years, testing and iterating to make it a reality. Our iteration continues, and this guide shares some of the...

This is a practitioner guide sharing the findings. The Cardboard Collaborative is the product of 10 years of work at the Science Museum of Minnesota and part of a larger collaboration with local community organizations to center BIPOC family priorities and experiences. This guide is intended to share what they have learned and support others to create their own cardboard maker...

Conversations around diversity, equity, and inclusion in science communication are in danger of generating much concern without effecting change and systematic transformations. This radical volume, authored by Elizabeth Rasekoala (African Gong: The Pan African Network for the Popularization of Science & Technology and Science Communication) addresses these circular discourses and reveals the gaps in the field. Putting the spotlight on the marginalised...

Air pollution is a data-rich problem space, with vast networks of sensors constantly capturing and reporting measurements. The measured pollutants are superficially familiar to many people, but few understand the specific sources, acceptable levels, and negative effects of any individual pollutant. In addition, coverage of air quality in formal school curricula is limited. This project seeks to deepen the public's...

Black and Latinx people are underrepresented in the STEM workforce. This project examines how curricula and practices in a culturally situated, community-based youth development program nurture and support the STEM engagement of Black and Latinx boys and girls. Often research supporting out-of-school-time (OST) activities in STEM and traditionally underrepresented youth takes place in newly created learning environments. However, this program...

This Integrating Research and Practice project leverages museum exhibits as unique family learning spaces to promote community engagement in critical climate change conversations. Most science centers have not been adequately equipped to help diverse learners engage in climate change conversations, in part because tested climate communication approaches have not included culturally-specific strategies. This project will develop an exhibit design framework...

Voyage through the Solar System is a collaboration between Sciencenter, Museum of Life and Science, and the Science Museum of Minnesota to develop and distribute a suite of activities focused on human space exploration. This project includes the development of a toolkit of new hands-on facilitated museum activities, and a mobile app with both app-based activities and do-it-yourself (DIY) activities....

Voyage through the Solar System is a collaboration between Sciencenter, Museum of Life and Science, and the Science Museum of Minnesota to develop and distribute a suite of activities focused on human space exploration. This project includes the development of a toolkit of new hands-on facilitated museum activities, and a mobile app with both app-based activities and DIY activities. The...

The conference will convene library leaders, climate researchers and educators, public health experts, and informal educators to examine the current prevalence of climate related programming in libraries, and how the concept of environmental health can be used by libraries to create locally and culturally relevant, change oriented, and equitable STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) learning experiences. The intention is...

This project from the Astronomical Society of the Pacific (ASP) is centered on the 2024 Total Solar Eclipse, which will traverse the US from southwest to the northeast, passing over several urban areas. The ASP's Eclipse Ambassadors Project will train 300 teachers and astronomers to facilitate activities in a solar eclipse kit to be developed as a part of this...

Amidst the most severe megadrought over the last 1,200 years in the U.S. Southwest, it is essential that residents of the region understand where their water comes from, how it is used, and what options for conservation exist. Researchers at Arizona State University (ASU), in partnership with the Smithsonian Museum on Main Street (MoMS), the Arizona Science Center, and eight...

STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, the Arts, and Math) continues to grow in the informal science learning field, with a wide variety of findings from researchers and practitioners. There is a significant need to assess where this nascent field is in relation to equity and what are the critical next steps that should be taken. Research shows: (1) a need to...

Successful peer-to-peer practices in informal science learning (ISL) are often not well defined, but further investigation has the potential to help uncover how to motivate and scaffold children's joint learning in science and engineering. Team Hamster!, a PBS KIDS interactive digital series that helps youth think creatively and use engineering skills to solve problems with everyday tools, will be used...

This project will focus on understanding how media can improve boys' and girls' perceptions of female scientists and engineers and increase children's understanding of mixed-gender collaborations in STEM. Two main products will be developed and disseminated. The first will be eight 11-minute episodes of the popular children's program, Elinor Wonders Why, which reaches 16.5 million viewers. This will be used...

This project builds on an NSF-funded program which engaged youth in the creation of art-science experiences that use the biology and the experiences of migratory birds as a means for communicating the impact of a changing climate. The preliminary success of this program at increasing participants' science identity, connectedness to nature, and feelings of efficacy about environmental action inspired the...

The bike is an engineering system centered on a transparent technology that promotes freedom of movement and thus has the potential to democratize mobility and access. As an accessible technology it allows for tinkering, redesigning, repairing, customizing, re-mixing, repurposing, building, and re-building. This project uses bikes and biking to introduce STEM content and experiences to traditionally underrepresented youth (grades 9-10)...