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This poster was presented at the 2021 NSF AISL Awardee Meeting. The Rural Activation and Innovation Network (RAIN) project aims to engage, support and better understand rural communities in:  Changing perceptions of the importance of STEM Learning Leveraging of local STEM resources and expertise with Rural Innovation Councils (RICs) Strategic Planning embedding asset maps, gap analysis, budget, media, and communication. ...

This poster was presented at the 2021 NSF AISL Awardee Meeting. Project goals: ● Develop an interactive microscopy exhibit platform ● Design the platform to work for various types of microscopic samples ● Create a platform that is accessible and extensible to small- and mid-sized ISE venues ● Better understand how to scaffold scientific observation, esp. with image recognition technologies ...

Snow: Tiny Crystals, Global Impact is a 2,500 ft traveling exhibition about: how snow shapes and sustains life on Earth, the impacts of climate change on snow, and the importance of our collective engagement to take action. The exhibition will be installed at OMSI during winter 2021-2022 for summative evaluation and learning research. This poster was presented at the 2021 NSF...

This poster was presented at the 2021 NSF AISL Awardee Meeting. Thousands of webcams available to the public are operated by STEM organizations, such as zoos, museums, and government agencies. However, as of yet no research has quantified any aspect (cognitive, behavioral, or emotional) of viewer outcomes. Our objective is to build foundational knowledge about basic aspects of STEM webcams in...

This poster was presented at the 2021 NSF AISL Awardee Meeting. Persons who are deaf or hard of hearing are underrepresented in the STEM workforce. A key factor is lack of awareness of STEM careers or of examples of STEM professionals. SWS has developed 8 video stories for viewing at home or while attending a boys and girls club. Evaluation will...

This poster was presented at the 2021 NSF AISL Awardee Meeting. This research draws from scholarship on bonds between people and places to help understand the growing knowledge, community, and personal outcomes linked to place-based citizen science experiences. Following an analysis of the place attachment (PAT) (an emotional bond between a person and a place) of participants in the Coastal Observation and...

Children spend 80% of their waking hours outside of school in the community. Deep inequities exist in access to high quality informal STEM learning opportunities (museums, zoos, safe and beautiful parks). Playful Learning Landscapes (PLL) infuses playful learning opportunities into everyday community spaces where families spend time. This project represents a strength-based model for designing play spaces deeply connected to...

This poster presented at the 2021 NSF AISL Awardee Meeting describes the goals of a five-year CAREER AISL project that brings together researchers, educators, designers, and facilitators to investigate how families exercise their agency in museum settings, and how science center exhibits can give families greater authority as STEM learners. The project involves 1) research studies exploring how family groups express agency...

This poster was presented at the 2021 NSF AISL Awardee Meeting. To engage youth in global challenges such as energy issues, students’ own community can serve as personally relevant venues for scientific inquiry. For example, after students learn about heat transfer in school, they can use this knowledge to inspect the energy efficiency of their own schools and public buildings in their...

This poster was presented at the 2021 NSF AISL Awardee Meeting. The archaeology after-school program, geared towards rural middle school students, explores the ability to teach STEM through archaeology. The multidisciplinary nature of archaeology makes it a useful vehicle for teaching a variety of STEM disciplines (e.g., biology, geology, ecology, zoology, physics, chemistry, mathematics, etc.). Its compatibility with hands-on activities, deep...

The ChemAttitudes project recieved supplemental funding to create materials for train-the-trainer workshops in order to inoculate the chemistry outreach community with members who have the knowledge and resources to train others on strategies for stimulating interest, sense of relevance, and feelings of self-efficacy that were tested in the earlier work of the project. The project team recruited participants from minority...

This poster was presented at the 2021 NSF AISL Awardee Meeting. Makerspaces and making-related programs are often inaccessible, unaffordable, or simply not available to underserved youth. This three-year, Innovations in Development project involves partnership with four Recreation Centers (two each in Baltimore and Pittsburgh) to (1) train educators in equity-oriented approaches to making, (2) create four learning hubs, (3) develop and...

This poster was presented at the 2021 NSF AISL Awardee Meeting. The project aims to engage students who had no or negative STEM experience in science and engineering through site visits and learning what is behind the scenes of entertainment and hospitality projects. ...

This poster was presented at the 2021 NSF AISL Awardee Meeting. The project is building a nationwide online coaching/mentoring program for out of school educators in rural settings. ...

This poster was presented at the 2021 NSF AISL Awardee Meeting. Programming includes Neighborhood Walks led by teams of scientists/engineers and artists Community Workshops, Local Artist Projects, and Youth Mentorship focused on neighborhood and citywide water issues Intergenerational participation, from seniors and adult learners to young adults, teens, and middle schoolers ...

This poster was presented at the 2021 NSF AISL Awardee Meeting. This project conducted a Delphi Study to investigate the question "What do experts think drive better outcomes in climate adaptation workshops?". ...

This project engages families in engineering design challenges through a sustainability and biomimicry lens. Families advance their engineering proficiencies while learning from nature to create a livable future. This poster was presented at the 2021 NSF AISL Awardee Meeting. ...

This poster was presented at the 2021 NSF AISL Awardee Meeting. This project employs youth (ages 16-21) from frontline communities to work in paid positions as purveyors of climate science, develop communication and leadership skills, and engage in timely conversations with members of the public about climate change impacts in their own communities. The youth work in small groups to develop...

This poster presents findings from a study comparing the engagement, learning, and value between virtual and physical versions of the Mystery Skulls exhibit, which were designed to elicit productive struggle. Findings showed that there were no significant differences between the two versions in terms of what participants learned and valued from the exhibit, but participants who used the virtual version...

The Museum of Science, Boston and Boston University received funding from the National Science Foundation to develop and implement a pilot program mentoring high school students in science research, communication, and education practices, through the lens of experimental psychology research. This poster reflects on the program's response to the COVID-19 pandemic, and how shifting to a virtual curricula impacted youths'...

The Museum of Science, Boston and Boston University received funding from the National Science Foundation to develop and implement a pilot program mentoring high school students in science research, communication, and education practices, through the lens of experimental psychology research. The project's evaluation focused on understanding how program elements contributed to changes in teens' science identities; this poster highlights the...

This poster shares a final version of the Productive Struggle Framework, presented to research and evaluation professionals at the Visitor Studies Association (VSA) conference in 2021. The Framework, which was created using a design-based research approach, shares strategies for designing experiences that foster productive struggle. ...

The 2022 AISES National Conference will be held on October 6-8, 2022 in Palm Springs, California. The event theme is “45 Years of Advancing Indigenous People in STEM”. More information is here. The Annual AISES National Conference is a unique, three-day event focusing on educational, professional, and workforce development for Indigenous peoples of North America ... Read more

Overview About NSF AISL Applying for Funding Current Funding Opportunities Resources Funded AISL Projects Solicitation Webinars NSF Resource Centers Service Be an AISL Reviewer Work for NSF The National Science Foundation’s Advancing Informal STEM Learning (AISL) program has recently awarded funding to a wide range of projects. The AISL Program funds five types of projects: (1) Synthesis; ... Read more

The 2022 American Alliance of Museums (AAM) Annual Meeting & MuseumExpo is May 19-22 in Boston, MA. The event will bring together the museum ecosystem to collaborate across disciplines. More information is here.