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STEM MATTERS: INVESTIGATING THE CONFLUENCE OF VISITOR AND INSTITUTIONAL LEARNING AGENDAS

BLACK REPRESENTATION - AUTHORING STEM STORIES FOR CLIMATE RISK PREPAREDNESS -DISCUSSIONS OF CLIMATE SCIENCE HAVE BECOME MORE COMMON IN CHILDREN'S LITERATURE IN RECENT YEARS. STUDIES SHOW THAT BOOKS AND OTHER MEDIA CAN TEACH CHILDREN EFFECTIVE TECHNIQUES FOR MANAGING THE RISKS THEY AND THEIR FAMILIES FACE FROM FLOODS, FIRES, EXCESSIVE HEAT, AND OTHER WEATHER-RELATED DISASTERS. HOWEVER, BLACK VOICES AND STORIES ARE RARE WITHIN THIS LITERATURE, DESPITE THE FACT THAT THESE DISASTERS ARE MORE LIKELY TO IMPACT AREAS HOME TO COMMUNITIES OF COLOR. TO ADDRESS THIS IMBALANCE, THIS CONFERENCE PROJECT WILL BRING TOGETHER BLACK CHILDREN'S MEDIA CREATORS WITH CLIMATE SCIENTISTS AND DEVELOPMENTAL PSYCHOLOGISTS TO PROMOTE CLIMATE SCIENCE STORY MAKING THAT SPEAK TO THE CONCERNS, CIRCUMSTANCES, AND EXPERIENCES OF BLACK AUDIENCES. EXPERTISE IN THE SCIENCE OF CLIMATE CHANGE AND CHILDREN'S DEVELOPMENT WILL BE CAPTURED IN A PODCAST SERIES THAT WILL BE USED TO SPARK CONVERSATIONS AND EXPLORATIONS FOR MAKING CHILDREN'S STORIES DURING THREE HYBRID CONVENINGS ORGANIZED USING A PARTICIPANT-DRIVEN (UNCONFERENCE) FORMAT. THE INTENTION FOR THESE CONVENINGS IS TO LAY A FOUNDATION FOR THE PRODUCTION OF CLIMATE SCIENCE CHILDREN'S MEDIA THAT SUPPORTS THE UNIQUE NEEDS OF BLACK FAMILIES, HELPING THEM AND THEIR CHILDREN PREPARE FOR AND RESPOND TO A MULTITUDE OF ENVIRONMENTAL THREATS. THIS CONFERENCE PROJECT IS A COLLABORATION BETWEEN KNOLOGY, THE HIGHLIGHTS FOUNDATION, THE NATIONAL BLACK CHILD DEVELOPMENT INSTITUTE, AND THE ASSOCIATION OF CHILDREN'S MUSEUMS. ACROSS THREE, TWO-DAY UNCONFERENCES, BLACK CLIMATE SCIENTISTS, DEVELOPMENTAL PSYCHOLOGISTS, INFORMAL LEARNING PRACTITIONERS, AUTHORS, ILLUSTRATORS, AND PUBLISHERS WILL DEVELOP STRATEGIES FOR CREATING CLIMATE-RELATED STEM CONTENT THAT ARE RELEVANT TO THE LIVED AND FUTURE EXPERIENCES OF BLACK FAMILIES AND CHILDREN. THEIR DELIBERATIONS WILL ADDRESS FOUR CENTRAL QUESTIONS: (1) WHAT KINDS OF STEM-RELATED KNOWLEDGE SHOULD BE INCORPORATED INTO CHILDREN'S CLIMATE CHANGE LITERATURE? (2) WHAT IS KNOWN ABOUT EXISTING METHODS FOR BRINGING DISCUSSIONS ABOUT CLIMATE RISK PREPAREDNESS INTO EARLY LEARNING SPACES AND PLACES, AND HOW APPLICABLE ARE THESE FOR POPULAR MEDIA DIRECTED AT BLACK COMMUNITIES, FAMILIES, AND CHILDREN? (3) WHAT VISUAL AND TEXTUAL STORYTELLING TECHNIQUES ARE BEST SUITED TO THE TASK OF CENTERING BLACK PRESENCES IN SUCH A WAY THAT AFFIRMS BLACK LIFE AND NURTURES BLACK CHILDREN'S RELATIONSHIPS WITH THE NATURAL WORLD? (4) HOW CAN CHILDREN'S LITERATURE SERVE AS A VEHICLE FOR DISMANTLING ANTI-BLACKNESS IN EARLY ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION? BY WORKING TOGETHER BEFORE, DURING, AND AFTER THE UNCONFERENCE CONVENINGS, PARTICIPANTS WILL CREATE AND PUBLISH A SUITE OF RESOURCES (INCLUDING A LIBRARY OF RESEARCH BRIEFS, A PODCAST SERIES, CONFERENCE PROCEEDINGS, REPORTS, AND A GUIDEBOOK) TO HELP BLACK MEDIA MAKERS DEVELOP CHARACTERS, PLOT ARCS, AND STORY OUTLINES THAT BLACK FAMILIES CAN USE TO TALK WITH THEIR CHILDREN ABOUT CLIMATE SCIENCE. THE PROJECT'S OUTPUTS WILL HELP SUPPORT MAKING CHILDREN'S MEDIA THAT IS BETTER SUITED TO THE EXPERIENCES OF BLACK FAMILIES, AND THAT CONTRIBUTES TO A BROADER AWARENESS OF STEM CAREERS AMONG CHILDREN OF COLOR. WITH A FOCUS ON CENTERING EQUITY AND BUILDING CLIMATE RESILIENCE IN COMMUNITIES THAT HAVE BEEN MARGINALIZED, THIS CONFERENCE FOCUSES ON SUPPORTING CHILDREN'S MEDIA CREATORS AND DRAWS ATTENTION TO THE SIGNIFICANT ROLE THEY HOLD IN ENGAGING YOUNG CHILDREN AND THEIR FAMILIES IN DIALOGUE ON CRITICAL ISSUES OF CLIMATE CHANGE AND THE BEHAVIORS AND MINDSETS TOWARDS ADAPTATION, MITIGATION, AND RESILIENCE. THIS CONFERENCE PROJECT IS FUNDED BY THE ADVANCING INFORMAL STEM LEARNING (AISL) PROGRAM, WHICH SUPPORTS PROJECTS THAT: (A) CONTRIBUTE TO RESEARCH AND PRACTICE THAT CONSIDERS INFORMAL STEM LEARNING'S ROLE IN EQUITY AND BELONGING IN STEM; (B) PROMOTE PERSONAL AND EDUCATIONAL SUCCESS IN STEM; (C) ADVANCE PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT IN SCIENTIFIC DISCOVERY; (D) FOSTER INTEREST IN STEM CAREERS; (E) CREATE AND ENHANCE THE THEORETICAL AND EMPIRICAL FOUNDATIONS FOR EFFECTIVE INFORMAL STEM LEARNING; (F) IMPROVE COMMUNITY VIBRANCY; AND/OR (G) ENHANCE SCIENCE COMMUNICATION AND THE PUBLIC'S ENGAGEMENT IN AND UNDERSTANDING OF STEM AND STEM PROCESSES. THIS AWARD REFLECTS NSF'S STATUTORY MISSION AND HAS BEEN DEEMED WORTHY OF SUPPORT THROUGH EVALUATION USING THE FOUNDATION'S INTELLECTUAL MERIT AND BROADER IMPACTS REVIEW CRITERIA.

ADDRESSING SOCIETAL CHALLENGES THROUGH STEM (ASCS): A RESEARCH SYNTHESIS

AWARD PURPOSE: THIS AGREEMENT WILL ASSESS LICENSEE AND REGISTRANT UNDERSTANDING AND EFFECTIVENESS OF THE CONTINGENCY RULE AS IT APPLIES TO THE TRANSPORTATION OF REGULATED ANIMALS IN THEIR CARE. THE CONTINGENCY RULE WAS IMPLEMENTED IN 2022 AND REQUIRED USDA’S LICENSEES AND REGISTRANTS TO DEVELOP CONTINGENCY PLANS TO SAFEGUARD ANIMAL WELFARE DURING EMERGENCIES. REGISTERED CARRIERS ROUTINELY TRANSPORT ANIMALS AND MUST HAVE CONTINGENCY PLANS. REGISTERED HANDLERS AND ALL CATEGORIES OF LICENSEES MAY TRANSPORT ANIMALS DURING NORMAL OPERATIONS WHERE THEY MAY ENCOUNTER EMERGENCIES. THEY MAY ALSO NEED TO TRANSPORT ANIMALS DURING EMERGENCIES. ACTIVITIES TO BE PERFORMED: THE WORK WILL BEGIN WITH DESIGNING AND PILOTING A QUANTITATIVE SURVEY. THE SURVEY IS INTENDED TO REACH A REPRESENTATIVE SAMPLE OF USDA’S LICENSEES AND REGISTRANTS. UPDATES, GUIDANCE, AND INTERIM RESULTS WILL BE DISCUSSED WITH USDA THROUGHOUT THE DURATION OF THIS EFFORT. THE METHODOLOGY FROM THE QUANTITATIVE SURVEY WILL BEREFINED AND DISCUSSED WITH USDA BEFORE A QUALITATIVE ARM BEGINS. THE QUALITATIVE ARM WILL RESULT IN A DEEPER ANALYSIS THAT WILL HELP VALIDATE THE QUANTITATIVE DATA COLLECTED. DELIVERABLES AND EXPECTED OUTCOMES: UPON COMPLETION OF THE SURVEY AND ANALYSIS OF THE DATA, THE USDA WILL RECEIVE A WRITTEN DRAFT REPORT. WITH INPUT FROM USDA AND DATA FROM THE QUALITATIVE PART OF THE EFFORT, A FINAL REPORT WILL THEN BE PRESENTED TO THE USDA. THE FINAL REPORT WILL SUMMARIZE THE FINDINGS FROM THE QUANTITATIVE AND QUALITATIVE SURVEYS. IT WILL IMPROVE ANIMAL CARE’S UNDERSTANDING OF THE CHALLENGES REGISTRANTS AND LICENSEES FACE WHEN PLANNING FOR EMERGENCIES DURING ANIMAL TRANSPORTATION. THE EFFORT WILL IDENTIFY GAPS IN STAKEHOLDER KNOWLEDGE AND PROVIDE RECOMMENDATIONS FOR HOW THE USDA MAY IMPROVE COMMUNICATION WITH STAKEHOLDERS. THE REPORT WILL HELP THE USDA IDENTIFY TRAINING PRODUCTS THAT STAKEHOLDERS NEED, HELP THE USDA UNDERSTAND HOW DIFFERENT CATEGORIES OF LICENSEES OR REGISTRANTS ARE MEETING THE REQUIREMENTS FOR CONTINGENCY PLANNING, AND WHAT USDA MAY NEED TO CONSIDER IN FUTURE POLICY OR GUIDANCE FOR CONTINGENCY PLANNING DURING THE TRANSPORTATION OF REGULATED ANIMALS. INTENDED BENEFICIARY(IES): THIS AGREEMENT WILL HELP THE USDA AND ITS LICENSEES AND REGISTRANTS WHO TRANSPORT ANIMALS. THE OVERALL BENEFIT WILL BE TO IMPROVE THE WELFARE OF REGULATED ANIMALS TO ENSURE THAT THOSE TRANSPORTING THEM HAVE EMERGENCY PLANNING OCCURS FOR TRANSPORTATION. SUBRECIPIENT ACTIVITIES, IF KNOWN OR SPECIFIED AT THE TIME OF AWARD: NO SUBAWARDS ANTICIPATED.

EMERGENCY WATERSHED PROTECTION 2005 HURRICANE

A CONFERENCE TO EXPLORE THEORIES REGARDING HOW MORAL MOTIVES MOVE PEOPLE FROM STEM INFORMATION LEARNING TO STEM-INFORMED ACTION

THE NEW KNOWLEDGE ORGANIZATION WILL CONDUCT A QUALITATIVE META-ANALYSIS OF MASTER'S AND DOCTORAL THESES FROM MUSEUM STUDIES PROGRAMS THAT ADDRESS ISSUES OF PERSONAL AND GROUP IDENTITY AND REPRESENTATION IN MUSEUMS, FOLLOWED BY INTERVIEWS WITH A SAMPLE OF THE AUTHORS. A TEAM OF EXPERIENCED RESEARCHERS WILL AGGREGATE THE FINDINGS TO DEVELOP A SET OF PUBLICATION BRIEFS TO INFORM AN EDITED VOLUME OF CHAPTERS WRITTEN BY COLLABORATIVE TEAMS DRAWN FROM THE POOL OF THESIS AUTHORS. THE PROJECT TEAM WILL UPLOAD A PUBLICLY ACCESSIBLE BIBLIOGRAPHY OF ALL THE WORKS, AND PUBLISH A GLOSSARY OF TERMS USED IN THIS EMERGING AREA OF RESEARCH. THE INTENDED OUTCOME OF THE WORK IS TO INCREASE MUSEUM PROFESSIONALS" ACCESS AND USE OF RESEARCH ON IDENTITY AND REPRESENTATION. THIS WILL BENEFIT THE MUSEUM FIELD BY HELPING MUSEUMS ENGAGE WITH COMMUNITIES AND PROVIDE INCLUSIVE SERVICES TO PEOPLE OF DIVERSE GEOGRAPHIC, CULTURAL, AND SOCIOECONOMIC BACKGROUNDS.

CONFERENCE: RESEARCH INFRASTRUCTURE FOR INFORMAL STEM EDUCATION -THE RESEARCH INFRASTRUCTURE FOR INFORMAL STEM EDUCATION CONFERENCE WILL BRING TOGETHER EDUCATION RESEARCHERS, PRODUCT DEVELOPERS, FUNDERS, AND COMMUNITY ORGANIZATIONS TO DEVELOP A CONCEPTUAL PLAN FOR NEW INFRASTRUCTURE THAT SUPPORTS RESEARCH ON EQUITABLE INFORMAL STEM LEARNING. EQUITABLE PARTICIPATION IN SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY, ENGINEERING, AND MATHEMATICS (STEM) IS ESSENTIAL IF ALL OUR NATION?S COMMUNITIES ARE TO THRIVE. YET, MANY BARRIERS STILL EXIST THAT PREVENT EQUITABLE PARTICIPATION FROM BECOMING A REALITY. INFORMAL SCIENCE LEARNING?SUCH AS EDUCATIONAL GAMING, OUT-OF-SCHOOL TIME PROGRAMMING, SCIENCE MUSEUMS, AND MEDIA?CAN OFFER A PATHWAY FOR REDUCING INEQUITIES IN STEM IF THEY ARE DESIGNED WITH COMMUNITY NEEDS AND INTERESTS IN MIND. ONE FACTOR THAT PREVENTS THE DESIGN OF EQUITABLE INFORMAL STEM LEARNING EXPERIENCES IS THE ECHO CHAMBER THAT OCCURS THROUGH THE STUDY OF THESE EXPERIENCES. RESEARCH OFTEN FOCUSES ON THE EXISTING OR THE MOST INVESTED AUDIENCES IN THESE SETTINGS, AND THE VOICES OF UNDERREPRESENTED COMMUNITIES CAN BE ABSENT. INCREASING EQUITY IN STEM PARTICIPATION MEANS INCREASING EQUITY AMONG THOSE CONTRIBUTING TO AND PARTICIPATING IN STEM LEARNING RESEARCH. TO ADDRESS THIS, MANY SCHOLARS HAVE CALLED FOR APPROACHES TO INFORMAL STEM LEARNING RESEARCH THAT EMPHASIZE COLLABORATIONS BETWEEN RESEARCHERS, PRACTITIONERS, AND COMMUNITY PARTNERS. THE CONFERENCE WILL ADDRESS HISTORIC INEQUITIES IN INFORMAL SCIENCE LEARNING BY BRINGING TOGETHER 25 KEY STAKEHOLDERS TO DISCUSS THE RESEARCH INFRASTRUCTURE NEEDED TO SUPPORT THE STUDY OF EQUITY-FOCUSED INFORMAL STEM LEARNING. IN ADDITION, OVER 100 INFORMAL STEM LEARNING RESEARCHERS AND PRODUCT DEVELOPERS, COMMUNITY-BASED ORGANIZATIONS, PUBLIC INSTITUTIONS, AND PHILANTHROPIC FOUNDATIONS WILL BE INVITED TO CONTRIBUTE TO THE DISCUSSION THROUGH PRE AND POST CONFERENCE ACTIVITIES. THE TWO-DAY VIRTUAL CONFERENCE WILL BE DESIGNED TO ANSWER ONE OVERARCHING QUESTION: WHAT BUILDING BLOCKS ARE NEEDED IN RESEARCH INFRASTRUCTURE SO THAT IT ADVANCES THE EQUITY AIMS OF INFORMAL SCIENCE LEARNING RESEARCHERS, PRACTITIONERS, AND COMMUNITY-BASED ORGANIZATIONS? TO ANSWER THIS QUESTION, THE FIRST DAY OF THE CONFERENCE WILL FEATURE ACTIVITIES DESIGNED TO ADVANCE PARTICIPANTS? UNDERSTANDING OF EACH OTHER'S STEM EQUITY AIMS THROUGH ENGAGED DIALOGUE. PARTICIPANTS WILL ALSO SHARE EXISTING RESOURCES FOR ACHIEVING THESE AIMS. ON THE SECOND DAY, PARTICIPANTS WILL IDENTIFY THE NECESSARY ELEMENTS OF THE PROPOSED NATIONAL INFRASTRUCTURE?FOR EXAMPLE, THE IDENTIFICATION OF COMMUNITY-BASED SITES FOR RESEARCH, THE ESTABLISHMENT OF SHARED INSTRUMENTS APPROPRIATE TO COMMUNITY SETTINGS, AND THE CREATION OF A DATABASE THAT PROVIDES DIRECT CONNECTIONS BETWEEN COMMUNITY ORGANIZATIONS AND RESEARCHERS. FOLLOWING THE CONFERENCE, THE PROJECT TEAM WILL SYNTHESIZE THE FINDINGS INTO A DIGITAL MULTIMEDIA REPORT THAT WILL BE AVAILABLE THROUGH KNOLOGY?S WEBSITE AND AT INFORMALSCIENCE.ORG. THIS PROJECT IS SUPPORTED THROUGH A PARTNERSHIP WITH THE BILL & MELINDA GATES FOUNDATION, SCHMIDT FUTURES, AND THE WALTON FAMILY FOUNDATION. FUNDING IS ALSO PROVIDED BY THE ADVANCING INFORMAL STEM LEARNING (AISL) PROGRAM AT NSF. THIS AWARD REFLECTS NSF'S STATUTORY MISSION AND HAS BEEN DEEMED WORTHY OF SUPPORT THROUGH EVALUATION USING THE FOUNDATION'S INTELLECTUAL MERIT AND BROADER IMPACTS REVIEW CRITERIA.- SUBAWARDS ARE NOT PLANNED FOR THIS AWARD.