The Nanoscale Informal Science Education Network
- PDF / 93,533 Bytes
- 6 Pages / 612 x 792 pts (letter) Page_size
- 78 Downloads / 201 Views
1105-OO02-01
The Nanoscale Informal Science Education Network Larry Bell Nanoscale Informal Science Education Network, Museum of Science, Science Park, Boston, MA, 01876 ABSTRACT The Nanoscale Informal Science Education Network was formed by the Museum of Science in partnership with the Science Museum of Minnesota and the Exploratorium through a cooperative agreement with the National Science Foundation in the fall of 2005. Over the course of its first two years the NISE Net focused on developing prototype informal educational materials to engage the public in learning about nanoscale science and technology. Now the NISE Net if focusing on building the network and disseminating materials and knowledge broadly to facilitate capacity building, partnering, and getting nano education activities for the public to happen in over 100 sites nationwide. NanoDays in 2008 from March 29 through April 6 has been developed to focus these efforts. INTRODUCTION After having funded several smaller scale informal science education projects focused on nanotechnology, in 2005 the National Science Foundation issued a proposal solicitation for a larger-scale effort to create a network of informal science educational institutions and research centers working together to increase public awareness, understanding, and engagement with nanoscale science, engineering, and technology. The Museum of Science in Boston, the Exploratorium in San Francisco, and the Science Museum of Minnesota in St. Paul, joined forces to develop the winning proposal. This group invited ten other institutions to be working partners for the first two years of the five-year effort, along with a number of individuals to be advisors and “thinking partners.” The NISE Net was launched in November of 2005, and has recently passed a significant milestone in the work of the project. The two-year mark, was designed as an “inflection point” in the project, with a broad set of activities tried out, or prototyped, in the initial period, and more focused dissemination carried out thereafter. EXPERIMENT In the first two years of the NISE Net’s work was organized into several “strands” overseen by the three core partners of the Network. The Exhibits and Programs strand focused on building a team of people and institutions capable of developing museum exhibits and programs about aspects of nanoscale science and technology. The Forums strand focused on develop capacity within a core group of five institutions to develop and conduct participatory programs for adults that focus on dialogue and deliberation about the societal implications of nanotechnology. The Network Media strand focused on identifying existing sources of media
and developing new ones as both stand-alone educational experiences and as integrated components of exhibits. A strand called Viz Lab focused on identifying best practices in presenting visual data and imagery related to nanoscale science and technology and developing exhibit techniques to engage the public in exploring the imagery. The Meetings strand focuse
Data Loading...
