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After more than a year of drafts, comments, and reviews, the Next Generation Science Standards are now available for implementation in science-learning environments. The new standards incorporate edits from more than 10,000 education stakeholders in two public review periods. Although the standards do not have specific recommendations for ISE professionals and institutions, the ISE field ... Read more

Resources » Project Planner Overview Get Oriented Understand the Field Learn from Practice and Research Review the Literature Build Partnerships Develop Equitable Partnerships Collaborate with Community Partner with STEM Practitioners and Researchers Find Project Partners See Examples Read Project Stories Watch Project Videos Partnerships are an essential piece of effective projects, but it takes time and ... Read more

The National Science Foundation presents the Findable Accessible Interoperable Reusable Open Science Research Coordination Networks (FAIROS RCN) program. The proposal deadline is April 12, 2022. Synopsis The FAIROS RCN program seeks to create three-year Research Coordination Networks (RCNs) which will foster catalytic improvements in scientific communities focusing on the FAIR (Findability, Accessibility, Interoperability, and Reuse, ... Read more

This blog was written with contributions from Dejah Powell, an environmental organizer in Chicago, and Kimberly Swift, an education specialist at the Indiana Dunes National Park. Martha is a project director for Interpreters and Scientists Working on Our Parks (iSWOOP), based at TERC in Cambridge, MA. Indiana Dunes National Park, formerly a national lakeshore, is ... Read more

The content below has been updated in the Project Planner Return to Developing Projects (2016) Winning funding for an informal STEM learning project requires a strong match between the funder’s priorities and your project’s goals, audiences and final product. Before searching for sources of funding, estimate the project’s: Scope and scale Duration Budget Use these ... Read more

How can we develop a more expansive, yet critical, view of what we mean by “broadening participation in STEM?” How can our programs be designed or re-designed to more fully integrate evidence on broadening participation? What resources do organizations and individuals need to better document and assess how programs advance broadening participation? These are some ... Read more

Flight of the Butterflies was released as an IMAX film in October 2012 and, as of summer 2013, has shown in 125 theaters worldwide for nearly two million viewers. The project was made possible thanks to NSF grant DRL-1027588, which helped fund film production, science advisory input, educational outreach development and project evaluation. SK Films ... Read more

Flight of the Butterflies, which was featured as the CAISE Spotlight in July, recently received several awards from the Giant Screen Cinema Association (GSCA). The GSCA Achievement Awards “recognize excellence in giant screen filmmaking, marketing, and lifelong learning.” Flight of the Butterflies won Best Film in the categories of Short Subject and Lifelong Learning, as ... Read more

This past October the Association of Science-Technology Centers held its 31st successful Annual Conference, which took place for the first time in Albuquerque, NM. More than 1,650 museum and science center professionals from over 40 countries convened for four days of networking, professional development sessions, and other opportunities, including an interactive “science in the park” ... Read more

The NGSS are a major policy effort likely to affect the work of all US-based science educators and researchers. NARST, the international organization for improving science teaching and learning through research, has commissioned position statement papers on the NGSS from the science education research community. Informal science education (ISE) is one of the eight topic ... Read more

The National Science Foundation’s (NSF) 2019 STEM for All Video Showcase was the largest yet with 242 videos submitted by federally funded projects aimed at improving science, technology, engineering, mathematics (STEM) and computer science (CS) education. The annual, week-long event took place May 12–20, and 820 presenters and co-presenters engaged more than 45,000 members of ... Read more

Contributing authors: Maureen Callanan, Phyllis Katz, Laura Huerta Migus, Smirla Ramos-Montañez, Gina Svarovsky, Lori Takeuchi During the current health crisis, the science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education community has rallied to provide tools, resources, and activities to help parents and families support their children’s ongoing learning while schools and other educational institutions remain closed. This may be one of ... Read more

Stephen Alkins, Director of Vision and Accountability, REVISE Center In this post, Stephen Alkins shares his thoughts about how to define and frame equity in the informal sciences community and the REVISE Center’s role in this process. This is part one in a series about discussing equity. The next blog post will be about Evaluating ... Read more

the commons: resources belonging to or affecting the whole of a community common: found frequently in many places or among many people in common: 1. in joint use; shared 2. of joint interest (Oxford) A convening of 72 practitioners, researchers and evaluators, and other stakeholders in Washington, DC from December 11 to 13, 2019, explored the ... Read more

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; (2) Conference; (3) Partnership Development and Planning; (4) Integrating Research and Practice; and (5) Research in Support of Wide-reaching Public Engagement with STEM. You can ... Read more

The US Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) is currently accepting applications for its Museums for America and National Leadership Grants for Museums programs. The Museums for America (MFA) program supports projects that strengthen the ability of an individual museum to serve its public. National Leadership Grants for Museums support projects that address critical needs ... Read more

The National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) is now accepting proposals for Public Humanities Projects, Media Projects: Development Grants, and Media Projects: Production Grants. The deadline for all three programs is August 9, 2017. Public Humanities Projects grants support projects that bring the ideas and insights of the humanities to life for general audiences. Projects ... Read more

The National Science Foundation (NSF) recently released a Dear Colleague Letter calling for proposals aimed at “Capacity-building, Community-building, and Direction-setting for Public Participation in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics Research (PPSR).” Specifically, NSF encourages proposals for Research Coordination Networks (RCNs), conferences, and PPSR-focused supplements for existing awards. Proposals are due on April 11, 2017. Informational ... Read more

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) released a call for proposals to the Competitive Program for Science Museums, Planetariums, and NASA Visitor Centers Plus Other Opportunities (CP4SMPVC+). From NASA: The NASA Office of Education invites proposals from museums, science centers, planetariums, NASA Visitor Centers, youth-serving organizations, and other formal and informal education institutions via ... Read more

The National Science Foundation is accepting proposals to conduct education-related research and development to prepare a diverse microelectronics workforce beginning with the early preparation of K-12 students in and outside of school settings and extending through undergraduate, graduate and other levels of adult learning. This DCL encourages proposals that will inspire, study and support learners’ ... Read more

The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine’s Gulf Research Program (GRP) aims to increase the scientific and environmental literacy and problem-solving skills of youth in the Gulf of Mexico region. This funding opportunity will support the next generation of STEMM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics, and Medicine) leaders in the field of environmental justice (EJ) ... Read more

The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine’s Gulf Research Program (GRP) aims to increase the scientific and environmental literacy and problem-solving skills of children and youth in the Gulf of Mexico region. This funding opportunity will support the next generation of informed citizens, scientists, engineers, and decision-makers in understanding the socio-environmental challenges of their ... Read more

NASA is seeking proposals for the 2023 NASA TEAM II Community Anchor Awards and Full Awards. Through TEAM II – a competitive, high-quality, national program that supports NASA-themed STEM education – NASA seeks to enhance the ability of informal education institutions and partners to deliver and participate in NASA-based activities, and to increase the capacity of institutions ... Read more

Inclusion across the Nation of Communities of Learners of Underrepresented Discoverers in Engineering and Science (NSF INCLUDES) is a comprehensive national initiative designed to enhance U.S. leadership in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) discoveries and innovations focused on NSF’s commitment to diversity, inclusion, and broadening participation in these fields. NSF INCLUDES supports efforts to ... Read more

Introduction to FUSE The FUSE program engages young people ages 11-18 in science, technology, engineering, arts/design, and math (STEAM) through interest-driven activities in a youth-centric, free-choice environment. FUSE is designed specifically to engage young people who have not yet identified strong interests in STEAM topics. The project leverages young people’s existing interests in music, design, ... Read more