Internships in Public Science Education: Making the Nanoworld Comprehensible

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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.