Search Results – Website Pages

The Play Make Learn Conference is being held August 8-9, 2022 in Madison, WI. Registration is now open here.  The Play Make Learn Conference promotes high-quality learning opportunities for educators, researchers, developers, designers, foundation leaders, policy makers, museum and library professionals, and school leaders who are dedicated to promoting making, gaming, and playful learning. We ... Read more

The application period will open Feb. 20 for the first round of research experiences for educators through Polar STEAM, a new Oregon State University-led program to promote the importance of research in the Arctic and Antarctic through education and the arts. Polar STEAM, which stands for science, technology, engineering, arts and math, offers virtual and ... Read more

In Summer 2023 through early 2024, Polar STEAM researchers and educators will collaborate virtually. Researchers may be field-based, conducting remote data monitoring, or a combination of both. Educators will participate virtually. In subsequent years, Polar STEAM will add field-based collaborations in both the Arctic and Antarctic, open applications to artists and writers (Antarctic only), and ... Read more

Polar STEAM is recruiting educators for 2024/25 collaborations with polar researchers in creating educational resources about polar regions and science. Applications are open for Arctic and Antarctic deployments as well as virtual collaborations in both regions. This opportunity is open to community college and minority serving institution faculty, middle and high school educators, and informal ... Read more

Polar STEAM is recruiting educators for 2025/26 collaborations with polar researchers in creating educational resources about polar regions and science. Applications are open for Arctic and Antarctic deployments as well as virtual collaborations in both regions. This opportunity is open to community college and minority-serving institution faculty, middle and high school educators, and informal educators. ... Read more

Portal to the Public: Expanding the National Network (PoPNet) is an NSF-funded broad implementation project (DRL-1224129) led by Pacific Science Center (PSC) that builds the capacity for informal science education institutions (ISI) to bring scientists and public audiences together in face-to-face interactions to promote an appreciation and understanding of current scientific research. The project builds ... Read more

This blog was co-written with Eve Klein, Program Director at the Institute for Learning Innovation. Portal to the Public (PoP) helps informal learning organizations connect public audiences with current science in their own communities through conversations with local scientists and engineers. The PoP team is proud to release the Implementation Manual and Catalog of Professional Development Elements, which provides guidance and ... Read more

Portal to the Public Network is a NSF-funded program led by the Pacific Science Center in Seattle, Washington, that facilitates face-to-face interactions between the public and local scientists and science-based professionals in order to promote greater appreciation and understanding of current scientific research and its applications. The program combines communication training for scientists, relationship-building between ... Read more

From August 20th-22nd, CAISE convened the 2014 Advancing Informal STEM Learning (AISL) Principal Investigators (PI) Meeting in Washington, DC. This meeting brought together more than 250 representatives from the diverse informal STEM learning field, including PIs and project staff from active AISL projects funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF), evaluators, researchers, directors of education ... Read more

Posters presented at the NSF Advancing Informal STEM Learning (AISL) Principal Investigators’ Meeting held in Bethesda, MD from February 29-March 2, 2016 are now available for viewing. Principal Investigators and meeting attendees displayed and discussed more than 150 posters, representing a wide variety of AISL-funded projects  during the meeting.The posters below are loosely organized by ... Read more

Agenda April 19-20, 2013 Participant List April 19-20, 2013 Draft Roadmap for Practice and Research in ISE Categories and Topics for ISE Research and Practice Beginning in 2012, CAISE embarked on a Practice and Research initiative, in response to increased interest in identifying the grand challenges of informal STEM education and in exploring the possibility ... Read more

Agenda Jan 31-Feb 1, 2013 Participant List Jan 31-Feb 1, 2013 Summary of Research Agenda Processes Initiative Survey Synthesis Practice-and-Research Forum Responses Participant Thought Cards Beginning in 2012, CAISE embarked on a Practice-and-Research (PaR) initiative, in response to increased interest in identifying the grand challenges of informal STEM education and in exploring the possibility of ... Read more

President Obama has announced that he intends to nominate Dr. France Anne Cordova as Director of the National Science Foundation (NSF). Dr. Cordova is an internationally recognized astrophysicist who currently serves as the President Emeritus of Purdue University. She is also a member of the National Science Board and is Chair of the Smithsonian Institution’s ... 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 Below please find the list below of AISL projects, organized by the year that they were funded. You can also use our advanced search function to sort by ... Read more

Managing Evaluation in Informal STEM Education Projects

We are committed to protecting your privacy. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, and share your information when you visit or use our website, InformalScience.org.  When you visit our website and use our services, you trust us with your personal information. If there are any terms in this privacy policy that you do not ... Read more

In this blog post, we take you through our process of researching, identifying, and securing a photography and videography vendor for the 2023 AISL Awardee Meeting.

The Institute of Museum and Library Services has announced the availability of new grants for professional development and capacity building opportunities for museums. The program is a special initiative of the Museums for America (MFA) grant program, which supports projects developed by individual museums to enable them to better serve their communities. Applications are due May 1, ... Read more

What can professional online communities contribute to learning, networking, and capacity building? How do we know that our online resources have impact on the field? And what insights are being gleaned from work so far of six NSF-funded professional development web sites? Those were among the questions explored during the May 2008 meeting of a ... Read more

Many professional membership and other national organizations host meetings and conferences, publish magazines or journals, and support online communities that can provide platforms and venues for engagement and dissemination. You can use these opportunities to reach colleagues, professionals in other fields, and diverse practitioners. Browse their websites to see what kinds of opportunities are available. ... Read more

The National Science Foundation’s Division of Research on Learning has a permanent Program Director position focused on equity in STEM Education. Please share this announcement widely. The Program Director(s) will have an unparalleled opportunity and responsibility to advance innovative research and development on equity and inclusion in STEM informal and or preK-12 learning environments. The ... Read more

Beginning this month, Valentine Kass, Program Director with the National Science Foundation Advancing Informal STEM Learning (AISL)/ISE program since 2001, will be on a year-long sabbatical to study the science of science communication, with the PBS NewsHour serving as her host institution. Her email is VKass@newshour.org. The National Science Foundation has also welcomed a new ... Read more

The Earl Woods Scholar Program is an unparalleled network providing admissions counseling, financial assistance, dedicated mentors, specialized internships, career development and vital workshops. Receiving individualized support, our bright young scholars are succeeding at universities such as Georgetown, Morehouse, UCLA, Lehigh, NYU and Dartmouth. Under the supervision of the Earl Woods Scholar Program (EWSP) Director, this ... Read more

With thanks to the National Science Foundation (NSF) for a small conference grant, the Association of Science-Technology Centers (ASTC) is partnering with the ICS Group, a project management consultancy, to present an intensive two-day experience, February 14-15, 2019 in Arlington, VA, to provide a highly interactive workshop for informal science institutions and their research and community partners. ... Read more

A resource for developing informed proposals