Association Of Science-Technology Centers Incorporated

CENTER FOR ADVANCEMENT OF INFORMAL STEM EDUCATION

INFORMAL SCIENCE EDUCATION RESOURCE CENTER (ISERC)

CENTER FOR THE ADVANCEMENT OF INFORMAL SCIENCE EDUCATION RENEWAL

COMMUNICATING CLIMATE CHANGE (C3)

THE PURPOSE OF THIS PROJECT IS TO SUPPORT THE U.S. CENTERS FOR DISEASE CONTROL AND PREVENTION STRATEGY TO REINFORCE CONFIDENCE IN COVID-19 VACCINES IN SUSTAINABLE, EQUITABLE, AND INCLUSIVE WAYS BUILT ON LISTENING, TRUST, AND COLLABORATION. THE ASSOCIATION OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY CENTERS WILL COLLABORATE WITH THE AMERICAN ALLIANCE OF MUSEUMS, THE NATIONAL LIBRARY OF MEDICINE, AND NATIONAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM ASSOCIATIONS TO PROVIDE FUNDING THROUGH SUBAWARDS DIRECTLY TO HUNDREDS OF LOCAL MUSEUMS AND LIBRARIES, COORDINATE A NEW COMMUNITY OF PRACTICE, AND CURATE AND DISSEMINATE EXISTING AND NEW EVIDENCE-DRIVEN RESOURCES RELATING TO COVID-19 VACCINES. AS SUBRECIPIENTS, MUSEUMS AND LIBRARIES WILL DRAW UPON THEIR DEEP RELATIONSHIPS WITH LOCAL COMMUNITIES AND THEIR REPUTATIONS AS TRUSTED SOURCES OF INFORMATION TO ADDRESS THIS NEED IN EVERY JURISDICTION IN THE COUNTRY. THE PROJECT WILL ENABLE ENGAGEMENT ACROSS A BROAD AND DIVERSE SET OF COMMUNITIES, INCREASE COVID-19 VACCINE CONFIDENCE IN THE SHORT TERM, AND CONTRIBUTE TO GREATER COMMUNITY HEALTH RESILIENCE IN THE LONG TERM.

BUILDING SUPPORTS TOWARDS A USEFUL, USABLE, AND IN-USE FRAMEWORK OF PROFESSIONAL COMPETENCIES IN THE INFORMAL STEM LEARNING FIELD -EACH YEAR, MILLIONS OF AMERICANS VISIT SCIENCE CENTERS AND MUSEUMS, CHILDREN?S MUSEUMS, ZOOS, AQUARIUMS, NATURE CENTERS, PLANETARIUMS, AND SIMILAR INSTITUTIONS. RECOGNIZED AS TRUSTED AND POPULAR PLACES FOR EDUCATIONAL AND LEISURE EXPERIENCES, THESE INSTITUTIONS ARE UNIQUELY CAPABLE OF ENGAGING PEOPLE ACROSS A SPECTRUM OF BELIEFS, EXPERIENCES, AND IDENTITIES ON TOPICS RELATED TO SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY, ENGINEERING, AND MATHEMATICS (STEM), AS WELL AS ADDRESSING PRESSING SOCIETAL PROBLEMS RELATED TO SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY, AND INNOVATION. HOWEVER, THE POTENTIAL IMPACTS OF THESE INSTITUTIONS ARE LARGELY DEPENDENT ON THE SKILLS, KNOWLEDGE, AND ABILITIES OF THE PROFESSIONALS WORKING AT THEM. FOLLOWING THE ONSET OF THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC AND THE NEED TO SHIFT THE NATURE OF WORK, THE INFORMAL STEM LEARNING WORKFORCE WAS DRAMATICALLY IMPACTED. THE RECENT PERIOD OF DISRUPTION IS A TIME FOR INNOVATION. THE FIELD IS WELL-POSITIONED TO PROMOTE NEW MODELS OF PROFESSIONAL LEARNING AND DEVELOPMENT THAT ARE GROUNDED IN THE VALUES AND PRACTICES OF INFORMAL LEARNING. THIS PROJECT WILL BENEFIT LOCAL COMMUNITIES ACROSS THE UNITED STATES AND SOCIETY AT LARGE BY ADVANCING THE CAPACITY OF SCIENCE-ENGAGEMENT PROFESSIONALS TO RESPOND TO SOCIETAL NEEDS, CONCERNS, AND INTERESTS MORE EFFECTIVELY THROUGH THEIR INSTITUTIONS? EXHIBITIONS, EDUCATION AND LEARNING PROGRAMS, AND VARIOUS FORMS OF PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT (E.G., COMMUNITY OUTREACH EVENTS, SUPPORTS FOR TEACHERS/EDUCATORS AND SCHOOLS). LED BY THE ASSOCIATION OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY CENTERS IN COLLABORATION WITH THE CENTER OF SCIENCE AND INDUSTRY?S CENTER FOR RESEARCH AND EVALUATION AND OREGON STATE UNIVERSITY?S STEM RESEARCH CENTER, THIS WORK WILL BUILD ON THE INFORMAL STEM LEARNING (ISL) PROFESSIONAL COMPETENCY FRAMEWORK DEVELOPED AND VALIDATED WITH PRIOR NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION FUNDING. COMPETENCY FRAMEWORKS ARE INCREASINGLY USED ACROSS MANY SECTORS TO IDENTIFY THE SUITE OF SKILLS, KNOWLEDGE, AND CAPABILITIES NECESSARY TO BE SUCCESSFUL IN A PARTICULAR AREA OF WORK. GIVEN DRAMATIC CHANGES TO THE ISL WORKPLACE IN THE LAST TWO YEARS, THERE IS AN EVEN STRONGER POTENTIAL FOR THE FRAMEWORK, PARTICULARLY IF NEWLY DEVELOPED SUPPORTS CAN LINK THE FRAMEWORK TO THE CURRENT, EMERGING, AND CONTINUING NEEDS OF THE WORKFORCE. GUIDED BY A SYSTEMATIC PROCESS FOR DESIGNING TRAINING AND INSTRUCTIONAL MATERIALS, THIS PROJECT WILL FIRST CAPTURE CHANGES IN THE WAYS DIVERSE INFORMAL STEM LEARNING PROFESSIONALS DESCRIBE, PURSUE, AND ACHIEVE COMPETENCIES TO PRODUCE A REVISED FRAMEWORK. NEXT, THE PROJECT WILL COLLABORATIVELY DEVELOP COMPANION RESOURCES WITH DIVERSE PROFESSIONALS THROUGH A SERIES OF PARTICIPATORY DESIGN WORKSHOPS, USING A SEQUENTIAL AND ITERATIVE APPROACH. THE RESOURCES ARE EXPECTED TO INCLUDE INDICATORS OF PROFESSIONAL COMPETENCIES, SELF-ASSESSMENTS, TRAINING TOOLS, AND OTHER TYPES OF RESOURCES THAT HAVE THE POTENTIAL TO SIGNIFICANTLY ADVANCE THE PROFESSIONAL LEARNING (AS UNDERTAKEN BY INDIVIDUALS AND INSTITUTIONS) AND THE PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT CAPACITY (AS PROVIDED BY INSTITUTIONS, ASSOCIATIONS, AND OTHER ORGANIZATIONS) OF THE INFORMAL STEM LEARNING FIELD. NEXT, THE PROJECT WILL SHARE FINAL PRODUCTS?INCLUDING A REFRESHED WEBSITE THAT HOSTS THE UPDATED FRAMEWORK AND NEWLY-DEVELOPED SUITE OF TOOLS?WITH PROFESSIONAL ASSOCIATION AND NETWORK PARTNERS WHO CAN DISSEMINATE DIRECTLY TO THE INSTITUTIONS AND PROFESSIONALS WHO ARE DEVELOPING AND PRACTICING THESE COMPETENCIES. THE PROJECT WILL GATHER EVIDENCE FROM A SMALL NUMBER OF EARLY ADOPTERS, PROVIDING DATA ON SPECIFIC USE-CASE SCENARIOS. FINALLY, THE PROJECT WILL DOCUMENT THE POTENTIAL IMPACT OF THE FRAMEWORK ON THE FIELD BY MEASURING HOW THE FRAMEWORK IS PERCEIVED BY INFORMAL STEM LEARNING PROFESSIONALS AS USABLE, USEFUL, AND BEGINNING TO BE ?IN-USE. OVER TIME?AND WITH INCREASED USE?THE FRAMEWORK AND ITS COMPANION RESOURCES HOLD THE PROMISE OF CONTRIBUTING TO THE OPENING OF THE FIELD TO PROFESSIONALS WITH IDENTITIES CURRENTLY UNDERREPRESENTED THROUGH MORE TRANSPARENT EXPECTATION AND CLEARER GROWTH PATHWAYS. THIS PROJECT IS FUNDED BY THE ADVANCING INFORMAL STEM LEARNING (AISL) PROGRAM WHICH SEEKS TO ADVANCE NEW APPROACHES TO, AND EVIDENCE-BASED UNDERSTANDING OF, THE DESIGN AND DEVELOPMENT OF STEM LEARNING IN INFORMAL ENVIRONMENTS. 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.

THE ASSOCIATION OF SCIENCE-TECHNOLOGY CENTERS (ASTC) WILL LEAD RESEARCH EXPLORING HOW MUSEUMS APPROACH DIVERSITY, EQUITY, ACCESS, AND INCLUSION (DEAI) PRACTICES IN THE POST-PANDEMIC ERA. ASTC WILL PARTNER WITH THE GARIBAY GROUP AND THE ASSOCIATION OF CHILDREN’S MUSEUMS TO DEVELOP A NATIONAL SURVEY TO UNDERSTAND CURRENT DEAI PRACTICES IN THE MUSEUM FIELD AND CONVENE A GROUP OF 60 MUSEUM LEADERS AND PRACTITIONERS TO DISCUSS SURVEY FINDINGS, AS WELL AS THE CHALLENGES AND RESOURCES NEEDED TO IMPLEMENT DEAI PRACTICES AND SUPPORT DEAI PLANNING STRATEGIES. AS A RESULT OF THIS PROJECT, MUSEUMS WILL BECOME MORE KNOWLEDGEABLE ABOUT DEAI PRACTICE AND WILL BETTER UNDERSTAND HOW TO OPERATIONALIZE EQUITY-FOCUSED PRACTICES. MUSEUM ASSOCIATIONS AND PROFESSIONAL NETWORKS WILL ALSO BENEFIT BY DEEPENING THEIR DEAI KNOWLEDGE AND ENHANCING ONGOING DEAI PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT AND CAPACITY-BUILDING EFFORTS TO SUPPORT MEMBERS.

EXFILES: AN ONLINE SCIENCE EXHIBIT COMMUNITY

COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH: AN EVIDENCE-BASED INFORMAL STEM LEARNING (ISL) PROFESSIONAL FRAMEWORK

NATIONAL LEADERSHIP GRANTS

NATIONAL LEADERSHIP GRANTS - MUSEUMS

COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH:EXAMINING CONTEXTUAL FACTORS INFLUENCING THE IMPLEMENTATION OF PROJECTS DESIGNED TO IMPROVE CULTURAL DIVERSITY IN INFORMAL STE

LEADERSHIP WORKSHOP FOR ACHIEVING SCALE FOR INCLUSION IN STEM

COLLABORATIVE PROJECT MANAGEMENT INSTITUTE FOR INFORMAL SCIENCE INSTITUTIONS

CONFERENCE: REDDDOT PHASE 1: WORKSHOP: EXPLORING ROLES OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY CENTERS AND MUSEUMS IN FACILITATING PUBLIC COLLABORATION IN ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE -AS ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE (AI) TECHNOLOGY ADVANCES, THERE IS GROWING PUBLIC ATTENTION TO HOW THESE TOOLS ARE DEVELOPED AND THEIR SOCIETAL IMPACTS. SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY CENTERS AND MUSEUMS (SCMS) ARE UNIQUELY POSITIONED TO BRIDGE THE GAP BETWEEN COMPLEX AI CONCEPTS AND THE GENERAL PUBLIC. THIS PROJECT, LED BY THE ASSOCIATION OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY CENTERS (ASTC), AIMS TO EXPLORE HOW SCMS CAN ENHANCE PUBLIC EDUCATION AND ENGAGEMENT WITH AI. ASTC WILL CONVENE SCIENCE ENGAGEMENT PRACTITIONERS, RESEARCHERS, COMMUNITY LEADERS, AND EXPERTS IN INFORMAL SCIENCE LEARNING TO COLLABORATIVELY IDENTIFY A RANGE OF WAYS THAT SCMS CAN HELP FOSTER INFORMED DIALOGUE ABOUT AI'S SOCIO-ECONOMIC AND ETHICAL IMPLICATIONS. THIS INITIATIVE ALIGNS WITH THE NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION'S MISSION TO PROMOTE THE PROGRESS OF SCIENCE AND SUPPORT SCIENTIFIC EDUCATION AND OUTREACH. THE OUTCOMES OF THIS PROJECT HAVE THE POTENTIAL TO ENHANCE PUBLIC UNDERSTANDING OF AI, ENSURE THAT AI DEVELOPMENT IS ALIGNED WITH COMMUNITY VALUES, AND INTEGRATE PUBLIC FEEDBACK INTO AI RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT, LEADING TO MORE SOCIALLY RESPONSIBLE AND ETHICAL AI TECHNOLOGIES. THIS PROJECT WILL INVESTIGATE AND DEFINE THE ROLES THAT SCMS CAN PLAY IN PUBLIC EDUCATION AND ENGAGEMENT RELATED TO AI. ASTC WILL HOST A 1.5-DAY, IN-PERSON WORKSHOP FEATURING PLENARY SESSIONS AND TWO MAIN TRACKS: PUBLIC EDUCATION AND LEARNING, AND PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT AND COLLABORATION. THE WORKSHOP WILL CONVENE 30-35 PARTICIPANTS, INCLUDING SCIENCE ENGAGEMENT PRACTITIONERS, AI RESEARCHERS, COMMUNITY NETWORK LEADERS, AND EXPERTS IN INFORMAL SCIENCE LEARNING AND PUBLIC PARTICIPATION IN TECHNOLOGY DESIGN. THIS WORKSHOP WILL BE DESIGNED TO SURFACE, CATEGORIZE, ASSESS, AND SHARE METHODS FOR EFFECTIVE AND INCLUSIVE PUBLIC COLLABORATION ON AI USING EXISTING LOCAL SCIENCE ENGAGEMENT INFRASTRUCTURE. THE AGENDA WILL BUILD ON INSIGHTS FROM RECENT AI AND SCM MEETINGS (SUCH AS THE ALAN J. FRIEDMAN SCIENCE CENTER DIALOGUES AT ASTC?S 2023 ANNUAL CONFERENCE), AND ON AI-RELATED EXHIBITS AND PROGRAMS AT VARIOUS SCMS. THE WORKSHOP AIMS TO IDENTIFY OPPORTUNITIES AND BARRIERS TO DEPLOYING THESE APPROACHES ACROSS MORE COMMUNITIES. THE FINDINGS AND THE RESULTING AI PUBLIC UNDERSTANDING AND COLLABORATION ROLES TYPOLOGY WILL BE DISSEMINATED THROUGH ASTC?S EXTENSIVE NETWORK, ENHANCING THE CAPACITY OF SCMS TO FOSTER PUBLIC UNDERSTANDING AND COLLABORATION IN AI. 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.

ROADS TAKEN - LONG-TERM IMPACTS OF STEM YOUTH PROGRAMS: CONFERENCE

BUILDING STEM CAPACITY THROUGH SCIENCE CENTER ACTIVITY IN SRI LANKA

CHINA - US FORUM ON INFORMAL SCIENCE EDUCATION