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This white paper is the product of the CAISE Public Participation in Scientific Research Inquiry Group. It describes how public participation in scientific research (PPSR) through informal science education can provide opportunities to increase public science literacy....

There is a growing call for greater public involvement in establishing science and technology policy, in line with democratic ideals. A variety of public participation procedures exist that aim to consult and involve the public, ranging from the public hearing to the consensus conference. Unfortunately, a general lack of empirical consideration of the quality of these methods arises from confusion...

In this article, Jeff Hayward discusses the work of his evaluation group, People, Places & Design Research, in conducting visitor research of Lincoln Park on behalf of the Chicago Park District and the Recreation and Leisure Task Force. Researchers used three different methods to analyze the public's usage patterns and perceptions of Lincoln Park. Hayward outlines key findings and the...

This National Science Foundation grant was designed to expand NACME's existing information program to reach more teachers, counselors and parents of minority students at the junior and senior high school levels and, ultimately, to provide more and better information to the students themselves. Materials produced under the grant to convey the message that minority students can find rewarding, attainable careers...

NACME will produce a three year public service advertising campaign designed to shape the educational choices children make in junior high and high school with respect to mathematics and science. The ads, featuring actor/director Spike Lee, will aim to increase the number of children in grades three through eight who understand the relevance and value of mathematics and science to...

In this paper, Sanford S. Shaman, of the Gallery of Art at the University of Haifa, discusses the spiritual void in contemporary art that accounts for the art's inability to communicate with visitors. Shaman describes how this lack of spiritual content renders much of today's art private and non-communicative in the eyes of many critics....

At first glance, public knowledge of climate science appears encouraging. When prompted, most people can correctly identify some of the contributors to climate change. But they are much less likely to do so when they are not shown a checklist of possible causes. This study examined public understanding of two commonly used terms: “global warming” and “climate change.” The findings...

The Widmeyer-Baker Group (TWBG) working in conjunction with The National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM) and the National Action Council for Minorities in Engineering, Incorporated (NACME) proposes to design and implement a campaign of Public Understanding and Engagement of Mathematics targeted toward national, state, and local audiences. The primary goal of the campaign is to engage the publics' thinking...

The current world research agenda is comprehensive. The results of many studies and experiments in which scientists are currently engaged will undoubtedly have profound impacts on the lives of citizens in developed and developing nations. Yet few people even know what research is being conducted, much less understand why it is being done and what the potential implications may be....

In April 2001, the Museum of Science in Boston launched the Current Science & Technology Center, an effort to address leading edge research for school and public audiences and to provide depth and context for science and technology stories in the news within a museum context and through various outreach methods. The Museum of Science (MOS), in collaboration with the...

Puget Sound Seabird Survey (PSSS) is a citizen-science survey organized by Seattle Audubon since the fall of 2007. PSSS empowers volunteer birdwatchers to gather valuable data on wintering seabird populations in Puget Sound. Over sixty sites are surveyed in central and south Puget Sound (Island, Jefferson, King, Kitsap, Pierce, Snohomish, and Thurston counties). All survey sites are visited within the...

Pulse of the Planet” children's science challenge includes 150 radio programs which focus on the interaction between a select group of scientists and youths 8-11, who have been chosen from a nationwide Science Challenge which encourages children to submit questions and potential experiments to scientists. Project partners include a variety of businesses (e.g., sports manufacturers such as K2), media (e.g.,...

Jim Metzner Productions is producing a national radio designed to reach a diverse audience with compelling, current information about our environment, the science which underlies it, and the people who explore and explain it. The short-format series consists of 780 daily, 2-minute programs designed for commercial and public radio stations and delivers timely information on a full spectrum of seasonal...

Jim Metzner Productions is developing a means to broaden and deepen the reach and impact of the "Pulse of the Planet," the short-format science and nature radio series that is currently carried on approximately 300 stations. The plans are to develop and broadcast a Spanish-language version of the series and to continue production and increase the carriage of the short-format...

This article discusses a study that examined the perceptions of students of Punjab, India regarding their interest in, perceived knowledge of, and perceived importance of various science topics. The study was conducted to help inform the development of exhibitions and education programs for the new "Pushpa Gural Science City." The study demonstrates that the outcomes of front-end studies are not...

This is the Front End Evaluation report for the NSF-AISL-funded Pushing the Limits: Building Capacity to Enhance Public Understanding of Math and Science through Rural Libraries (Limits) project. A national survey of rural librarians and their patrons was carried out between February and April 2011. Key guiding questions were: 1) How interested/motivated are rural librarians in: a. Providing science and...

This project is intended to develop a model for STEM education through local libraries. There are several unique features in this endeavor. The model is being aimed at rural libraries and adult residents that are geographically remote from typical venues such as museums, zoos, and science centers. According to the 2000 census, there are 50 million individuals in this designation...

Presentation on NSF grant DRL-1010577 (""Pushing the Limits: Building Capacity to Enhance Public Understanding of Math and Science Through Rural Libraries"") presented at the CAISE Convening on Professional Development and Informal Science Education, February 2nd, 2012....

Pushing the Limits: Making Sense of Science (PTL) is an NSF-funded program designed to build the capacity of rural and small libraries to enhance public understanding of science and math. The program provides professional support, technical assistance, and funding for librarians and local science partners to co-facilitate a series of science café-style guided public discussions with adult patrons using books...

Pushing the Limits: Making Sense of Science (PTL) is an NSF-funded program designed to build the capacity of rural and small libraries to provide programming to enhance public understanding of science and math. PTL provides professional support, technical assistance, specially produced video segments, and funding for library professionals and their local science partners to co-facilitate a series of science café-style...

As an initial qualitative enquiry into the dynamics of learning transfer in the museum sector, this dissertation explores a range of largely positive learning transfer experiences within four museum case settings, and highlights the interdependent roles of museum climates and learners' agency in supporting prolonged and complex processes of adapting learning to meet situated needs. Key findings from a cross-case...

In this article, John Chiodo, Design Director at Gallagher and Associates, identifies areas of friction that can develop between team members from within institutions and with consulting firms during the collaborative exhibition process. Chiodo provides several examples and shares observations and recommendations based on his 25 years of experience working in teams made up of in-house museum staff and design...

Practitioner research fellowships help transform out-of-school-time practitioners from consumers of others’ research to makers of knowledge based on their own experience and practices....

This PDF includes a synthesis of presentations and discussions that took place at the Engaging and Learning for Conservation Workshop on Public Participation in Scientific Research, held at the American Museum of Natural History on April 7 & 8, 2011. Working in design studio mode, participants break into small groups to focus on areas of interest and issues of concern...

Presented at the 2008 ISE PI Summit, this presentation discusses how to put the Framework for Evaluating the Impacts of ISE Projects into practice....