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Little scholarly investigation of chemistry outreach carried out by undergraduate students in schools and communities has occurred despite widespread practice and monetary investment by large national and international organizations. This study provides the first investigation of these fairly uncharted waters by characterizing expected outcomes of outreach events, the types of activities and chemistry content widely practiced, and how outreach practitioners...

The overarching goal of the Students Discover project is to improve STEM education in middle schools by developing a model for engaging students with real science. Over the past three years, the project has brought together teachers, scientists, district leaders, and other institutional partners to facilitate the successful implementation of citizen science projects in the classroom. Project activities aim to...

Data are the workhorses of the scientific endeavor and their use is rapidly evolving (Haendel, Vasilevsky, and Wirz 2012). Ask almost any scientist about their work, and the conversation will involve the data they collect and analyze. The use of data in science is often captured in science classrooms as an ill-defined link between math and science that may not...

Please join us in celebrating Citizen Science Day, which falls this year on Saturday, April 14th. This issue of Connected Science Learning is dedicated to highlighting effective citizen science programs that involve classroom students in collecting data for research scientists, while also engaging them in key STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) content and practices. Students get a “front row...

With support from the National Science Foundation (NSF), SciStarter 2.0 was launched to enhance, diversify, and validate participant engagement in scientific research in need of the public’s help. SciStarter’s leadership is part of the National Academy of Sciences’ Committee, Designing Citizen Science to Support Science Learning, which is developing guidelines and a research agenda for citizen science in education. This...

California Academy of Sciences contracted with Wendy Meluch of VisitorStudies.com to design and conduct an evaluation of the Habitat Earth planetarium show (HE) during winter/spring 2017. HE is a 30-minute show which features a pre-recorded movie-like section, and a live presentation. HE team members’ primary interests were to assess cognitive, affective and behavioral impacts of the show on audience members,...

The National Center for Science & Civic Engagement (NCSCE) contracted RK&A, Inc. (RK&A) to conduct a summative evaluation of Partnership Champions: SENCER-ISE and Professional Development Through Mentoring to Enhance Learning Environments (Partnership Champions), an IMLS-funded project. Partnership Champions builds upon NCSCE’s SENCER-ISE initiative, which supports ten cross-sector partnerships between museums and higher education institutions. With the addition of...

Beyond Spaceship Earth is a multi-faceted project at The Children's Museum of Indianapolis that includes an immersive permanent exhibit about the International Space Station, the Indianan Astronaut Wall of Fame, the Schaefer Planetarium and Space Object Theater; museum theater and facilitated programs throughout the exhibit; complementary programming for schools and families in the museum's STEMLab; and a freely available unit...

Since 2005, the IMLS Office of Museum Services has funded research projects under the auspices of the National Leadership Grant program. These grants support projects that ‘raise the bar’ in museum research and practice. Funded projects have national impact and generate findings that, through broad dissemination, move the field forward. This project was funded in the program’s inaugural round. Why...

Federal support for museums through the Institute for Museum and Library Services (IMLS) is based on the premise that museums are valuable community organizations providing rich opportunities for learning and civic engagement. Yet, until recently, there has been a paucity of systematic and evidence-based research on the public impact of museums. Therefore, since 2005, the IMLS Office of Museum Services...

This preliminary study examined the effect that five major sources of public science education—schools, science centers, broadcast media, print media, and the Internet—had on adults’ science interest values and cognitive predispositions. Over 3,000 adults were sampled in three U.S. metropolitan areas: Los Angeles, California, Phoenix, Arizona, and Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. To minimize potential sampling bias, the results were weighted by current...

The Science Behind Pixar (SBP) exhibition was the product of a collaborative effort among the Museum of Science, Boston (MOS), Pixar Animation Studios, and the Science Museum Exhibit Collaborative (SMEC). The 13,000 square foot exhibition presented the science, math, and computer science behind Pixar Animation Studios’ animated films and innovation. Before entering SBP, visitors watched a five-minute film that oriented...

This article discusses how camp professionals are taking a greater interest in the concept of allyship, a process of unlearning and re-evaluating whereby those in positions of privilege attempt to adopt a stance of solidarity with marginalized groups of people. It includes an annotated list of Indigenous Instructional Programming, which aims to build awareness of programs that can aid camp...

Science in the Learning Gardens (henceforth, SciLG) program was designed to address two well-documented, inter-related educational problems: under-representation in science of students from racial and ethnic minority groups and inadequacies of curriculum and pedagogy to address their cultural and motivational needs. Funded by the National Science Foundation, SciLG is a partnership between Portland Public Schools and Portland State University. The...

In this paper, we summarize the results of the two-year, National Science Foundation-funded Head Start on Engineering (HSE) project, designed to study and support engineering-related interest development for preschool children and their families from low-income backgrounds participating in Head Start. Low-income communities face ongoing barriers to accessing STEM learning resources and pursuing STEM-related careers. Quality family interventions in early childhood...

In this literature review, we seek to understand in what ways aspects of computer science education and making and makerspaces may support the ambitious vision for science education put forth in A Framework for K-12 Science as carried forward in the Next Generation Science Standards. Specifically, we examine how computer science and making and makerspace approaches may inform a project-based...

An interview with Jacquelynne S. Eccles, an academic researcher, is presented. Eccles states that after enrolling in graduate school at UCLA in Los Angeles, California, she learned more about what it entailed to be an academic researcher. Eccles avers that she is interested in how people make selections. Eccles believe that the expectations for one's performance and the value that...

Scientists (and engineers) wishing to conduct public engagement do so in the context of established disciplinary norms and complex institutional systems that may support or limit their success. This report seeks to convey the known complexity, unique challenges, and opportunities for universities to better support for scientists in their public engagement work. The report is intended to drive discussion towards...

Digital Observation Technology Skills (DOTS) is a framework for integrating modern, mobile technology into outdoor, experiential science education. DOTS addresses longstanding tensions between modern technology and classical outdoor education by carefully selecting appropriate digital technology for educational purposes and by situating these tools in classical experiential pedagogy....

In this article, The North American Association for Environmental Education (NAAEE) shares the programs and publications it developed to advance E-STEM—the integration of environmental education into STEM....

Learn about how a university-based teacher preparation program, public schools, and local science-focused museums implement an ecological approach to STEM learning in Chicago....

These are slides from Shupei Yuan, John Besley and Anthony Dudo's presentation at the Support Systems for Scientists' Communication and Engagement: Workshop II held February 28-March 1, 2018 at HHMI. The workshop was intended to explore how scientific societies can advance a sustainable system that supports scientists’ communication and engagement efforts. Yuan, Besley, and Dudo provide an overview of their...

From February 28-March 1, 2018, the Kavli, Moore, Packard, and Rita Allen Foundations hosted a workshop at HHMI for leaders from scientific societies, associations and professional organizations, researchers who study communication and learning, funders and other experts to explore how scientific societies can advance a sustainable system that supports scientists’ communication and engagement efforts. This outline summary aims to capture the...

This is a list of participants who attended the Support Systems for Scientists' Communication and Engagement Workshop II: Associations, Societies & Other Professional Organizations. This workshop was held February 28 - March 1, 2018 at the Howard Hughes Medical Institute. ...

This is a report from Workshop II: Overview of Organizational Support for Public Engagement among Scientific Societies, part of the Support Systems for Scientists' Communication and Engagement workshop series. Workshop II was held Feb. 28 - Mar. 1, 2018 at the Howard Hughes Medical Institute in Chevy Chase, MD. The report provides an overview of a project aiming to help...