Tinkerzeum Planning Grant

位于阿默斯特的马萨诸塞州大学的科学推理研究所将通过这项规划拨款进行一项可行性研究，让博物馆游客参与数据分析。智力优势：该项目建立在PI为中学生开发Tinkerplots软件的广泛工作基础上。 与此同时，它潜在地利用了许多博物馆展览，这些展览包括各种数据，但没有为参观者提供分析数据和得出结论的机制。 这个项目通过试图证明这个数据分析程序从正式环境转移到非正式环境的概念证明来建立联系。更广泛的影响：这个项目将有目的地测试三个非常不同的环境--科学博物馆，波士顿，马萨诸塞州;奈史密斯篮球名人堂，斯普林菲尔德，马萨诸塞州;和密苏里州植物园，圣路易斯，密苏里州-探索这种方法在这些学习环境中的优势和局限性。 如果成功的话，该软件将有广泛的应用。

The Scientific Reasoning Research Institute at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst will conduct a feasibility study for engaging museum visitors in data analysis through this planning grant. Intellectual Merit: This project builds on the extensive prior work of the PI in developing Tinkerplots software for middle school students. At the same time, it potentially takes advantage of the many museum exhibitions that include various kinds of data but provide no mechanisms for visitors to analyze the data and draw conclusions. This project makes the connection by seeking to demonstrate the proof of concept for the transfer of this data analysis program from the formal to the informal setting.Broader Impact: This project will purposefully test three very different settings -- Museum of Science, Boston, MA; Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame, Springfield, MA; and Missouri Botanical Garden, St. Louis, MO -- to explore the advantages and limitations of this approach in those learning environments. If successful, the software could have very wide application.