NISE Net Expanded Informal

Educational Outcomes

Larry Bell (lbell@mos.org)

Sr VP for Strategic Initiatives, Museum of Science, Boston

Nanoscale Science and Engineering Grantees ConferenceDecember 13, 2016

1,650 NanoDays kits sent to 468 different organizations over 8 years reaching about 1.1 million visitors/year. Hundreds of activity resources at www.nisenet.org

93 copies of nano mini-exhibition distributed across the U.S. reaching 9 million visitors each year.

121 guides, videos, and other professional development tools at www.nisenet.org

Let’s Talk about It

83% of annual partner survey respondents report engaging audiences in nano & society content

620 organizations in the Network able to engage adults & children in learning about nano and other topics …368 museum/ISE 208 university 44 other

Plus a core group with skills for leading such an effort

• Professional Impacts Summative Evaluation• Study of Communication in the NISE Network• Summative Study of the Nano Mini-exhibition• Summative Study of NanoDays 2014 Events• Summative Study of Public Impacts of Nano-Rich Organizations• Nano online: Tracking NISE Net’s digital footprint• How visitors find and discuss relevance in the Nano exhibition• Partnerships in the NISE Net: Study of partnerships between university scientists and museum professionals• Research on organizational change• Complex adaptive systems as a model for network evaluations

Research & Evaluation team developed methods, conducted studies, implemented annual partner survey and spread Team-Based Inquiry through the Network

Five evaluation studies and five research studies

Focus of final year:• NanoDays collection• Guides• Evaluation reports• Research reports• Website• NanoDays dates•

Focus of final year:• NanoDays collection• Guides• Evaluation reports• Research reports• Website• NanoDays dates• Supplemental project:

Museums & Community Partnerships

Outcomes of the Museum & Community Partnerships Project

Elizabeth Kunz Kollmann (ekollmann@mos.org)

2016 NSF Nanoscale and Engineering Grantees ConferenceDecember 13, 2016

NISE Net Partners

620 Partners

368 Museum & ISE

208 Universities

44 Other

Partner Collaborations

• Reach underserved audiences that partners weren’t currently engaging in learning about nanoscale science, engineering, and technology (“nano”)• Materials are designed for youth ages 8-10 and families

• Create new or expanded collaborations with a local community partner• A local community group, afterschool program, library, or summer camp

• A local chapter of a national youth-serving group such as 4-H, Boys & Girls Clubs, Boy Scouts, Girls Inc., Girl Scouts, National Girls Collaborative Project, Parent Teacher Association (PTA), Y (YMCA), and YWCA

Purpose of Museum & Community Partnerships Project

Planning and implementation guides• Collaboration guide

• Event planning guide

Staff training materials• Educator framework

• Activity guides and training videos

• Tips sheets and background materials

• Nano 101 training slides and key concepts guide

• Resources for engaging diverse audiences

• Resources for hands-on STEM

Educational products• Hands-on activities

• Classroom set of materials

• Event supplies

Museum & Community Partnerships Kits

Overall focus

• Effectiveness of this approach to reach new audiences and form new collaborations

Specific questions

• Use of materials • Participation of professionals• Value of partnerships• Professional learning

• Reach and demographics for public audiences• Perception of public learning and engagement

Purpose of the Summative Evaluation

Evaluation Findings: Professional Impacts

Professionals benefitted from the project.

94%

95%

My organization benefitted fromits Explore Science--Zoom into

Nano partnership (n=63)

I benefitted from my organization'sExplore Science--Zoom into Nano

partnership (n=62)

How much do you agree or disagree with the following statements?

Mostly/completely agree Slightly disagree/slightly agree

Completely/mostly disagree

Professionals knew about nano after the project.

80%

81%

86%

86%

90%

90%

…how nano-sized materials behave compared to macro-sized materials

..how scientists work at the nanoscale

…the size of a nanometer

…ways that nano improves existing products

…examples of nano

…innovations that are possible because of nano

I am confident in my ability to explain to another adult... (n=70)

Mostly/completely disagree Slightly disagree/agree Completely/mostly agree

Evaluation Findings: Public Reach and Impacts

Most community organizations reported reaching low-income, female, minority, and rural participants.

90%76% 71%

57% 52% 48% 48% 48%19% 14…

Low-income Female Racialminority

Hispanic orLatino/a

Rural Speak alanguage

other thanEnglish at

home

Urban At-riskyouth

Personswith

disabilities

Other

Which of the following demographic categories apply to the children, youth, and family members

who participated in Explore Science--Zoom into Nano activities? (n=21)

Most respondents felt the activities were engaging, educational, and relevant.

49%42%

8%

Very engaging

Engaging

A little engaging

Not at all engaging

21%

47%

31%

Overall, how RELEVANT do you think today’s

activities were for participants? (n=118)

Very relevant

Relevant

A little relevant

Not at all relevant

33%

52%

15%

Overall, how much do you think participants LEARNED from today’s

activities? (n=117)

A LOT from the activities

SOME from the activities

A LITTLE from the activities

NOTHING from the activities

Overall, how ENGAGING do you think today’s

activities were for participants? (n=118)

Cynthia Needham, ICAN ProductionsThis presentation is based on work supported by the National Science Foundation under Grant No. 0940143. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this presentation are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Foundation.

Thank you!

First I’ll focus on this side of the family tree

NSF AISL award (1421179) has allowed

NISE Net to partner with AAAS and

members of the synthetic biology

community to create kits of hands-on

activities and forum programs to stimulate

conversations between scientists and

publics about research, applications and

societal implications

A NASA cooperative agreement

(NNX16AC67A) with the Science

Museum of Minnesota is allowing

NISE Net to develop and

distribute:

• 250 copies of each of four Earth

& Space toolkits

• 50 copies of an Earth & Space

mini-exhibition

• online professional

development workshops

Using Design-Based Research to Develop and Disseminate Strategies and Materials to Support

Chemistry Interest, Relevance, and Self-EfficacyChemAttitudes

Public attitudes to chemistryRoyal Society of Chemistry, 2015

NSF AISL award (1612482) is allowing NISE Net to partner with the American Chemical Society to have a strategic impact on publics’ attitudes toward chemistry through new knowledge and kits of educational materials

National Academy of Science 2016 report:

Core leadershipP Martin, SMML Bell, MOSR Ostman, ASU

Extended leadershipM Benne, OMSII Bennett, ASUM Dahlager, SMMJ Das, TFIB Herring, MLSE Kollmann, MOSM Kortenaar, SCC McCallum, CMHC McCarthy, SMMK Ostfeld, CMHD Porcello, UCBD Sittenfeld, MOSR Vandiver, TCMJ Wetmore, ASU

Regional hubsB Herring, MLSA Jackson, SCF Kusiak, UCBC Leavell, SMM

AdvisorsJ Bell, CAISE A Krishnamurthi, AA L Huerta Migus, ACM K Peterson, NGCP

Network leadership now involves staff of 14 institutions

The other side of the family tree is created by a different organization altogether - ECAST

MOS

It’s more a spinoff of CNS at ASU than NISE Net

MOS

Go to Mahmud’s slides for a continuation of the story