Building a National Informal Geoscience Education Collaborative: A Planning Proposal

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Title: Building a National Informal Geoscience Education Collaborative: A Planning Proposal Submitting Institution: The Paleontological Research Institution (PRI) Principal Investigator: Robert M. Ross New technologies, interdisciplinary studies, and the urgency of global change make Earth system science (ESS) one of the fastest evolving areas of science. Unfortunately, the general public has little understanding of the breadth and significance of ESS research. Museums and science centers, which nationally receive over 100 million visits per year, are ideal venues for educating the public. Yet many museums present out-of-date Earth science information using antiquated approaches, and many museum professionals are not satisfied with the coverage of ESS in their current exhibits. The absence of readily available models of best practices, and of networks for communication among providers of informal geoscience education, has contributed to these problems. This planning project is developing a detailed plan for producing the resources necessary to inform the general public about current ESS research using informal education venues. The project involves a multiyear collaboration among six major providers of informal geoscience education. The current status of informal geoscience education is being evaluated, and a white paper summary of recommendations is being prepared. A DLESE collection for informal geoscience education is being developed to disseminate the results of the project to the geoscience community at large. The project is being evaluated to determine the effectiveness of traveling exhibits and plans for exhibits and programming, all of which are being designed for broad utility. The project, both through communication among the six core collaborators and networking among many dozens of other entities, is expected to improve the quality of geoscience exhibits and programming nationwide.