Internships in Public Science Education: Making the Nanoworld Comprehensible

NSF支持的威斯康星大学麦迪逊分校(UW)纳米结构材料研究科学与工程中心(MRSEC)和威斯康星州密尔沃基的探索世界(DW)科学博物馆开展了一项公共科学教育(IPSE)合作实习计划，该计划有三个基本目标：1)专注于实习生的专业发展，培养未来的科学传播领导者，他们能够弥合科学与公众之间日益扩大的鸿沟；2)开发关于纳米技术的有效博物馆展品和数字视觉媒体；以及3)通过使用尖端纳米技术研究来解释核心科学概念，提高公众的科学素养。通过UW IPSE项目，来自所有学科的不同研究生团队与UW MRSEC研究人员和DW人员合作，发展他们的科学交流技能，同时开发和评估他们的团队项目。这些两人项目包括一段简短的教育视频或一个博物馆原型展览。除了对全国的影响外，这些产品还为DW将于2006年或2007年开业的新大楼做出了贡献。该计划影响了大约20名研究生，通过发展他们的人际科学交流技能，他们对纳米技术的技术理解，他们对他们的团队项目媒介的知识，以及他们的评估技能，他们在努力增加公众对科学和纳米技术的理解的同时，拥有非凡的职业发展经验。此外，实习生有机会通过他们的项目和完成关于科学教育的课程来获得科学教育证书。反过来，实习生的外展努力和团队项目产品每年通过博物馆活动、专业研讨会、公共活动、视频传播和博物馆展品影响数万人。

The NSF-supported University of Wisconsin-Madison (UW) Materials Research Science and Engineering Center (MRSEC) on Nanostructured Materials and Interfaces and the Discovery World (DW) science museum in Milwaukee, WI, carry out a collaborative Internships in Public Science Education (IPSE) program that has three fundamental goals: 1) to focus on intern professional development and create future leaders in science communication who can bridge the increasing gap between science and the public; 2) to develop effective museum exhibits and digital visual media about nanotechnology; and 3) to improve public science literacy by using cutting-edge nanotechnology research to explain core science concepts. Through the UW IPSE program, a diverse group of graduate students from all disciplines teams with UW MRSEC researchers and DW personnel to develop their science communication skills while simultaneously developing and assessing their team projects. These two-person projects consist of either a short educational video or a prototype museum exhibit. In addition to national impact, these products also contribute to DW's new building to open in 2006 or 2007. The program impacts about 20 graduate students who, through developing their interpersonal science communication skills, their technical understanding about nanotechnology, their knowledge about their team project medium, and their assessment skills, have an exceptional professional development experience while working to increase public understanding of science and nanotechnology. In addition, interns have the opportunity to earn a science education certificate through their project and completion of courses on science education. In turn, the interns' outreach efforts and team project products affect tens of thousands individuals each year through museum events, professional workshops, public events, video dissemination, and museum exhibits.