CRPA: Astrophysics and Dance: Engaging Deaf Students in Science Education

罗切斯特理工学院的国家聋人技术研究所（NTID）和计算相对论和引力中心（CCRG）将合作开展CRPA项目，旨在开发基于舞蹈的表演，以教育聋人和重听学生了解天体物理学概念。该项目力求实现以下目标：（1）以固有的吸引力和激励性方式向所有受众提供获取科学信息的机会;（2）促进所有受众，包括聋人和听力障碍者获取科学知识，特别是引力物理学和天体物理学领域的一般信息和基本概念; 3）激发所有观众对STEM领域的普遍兴趣。一个由物理学家，艺术学院，计算机科学家，性能专家和评估人员组成的广泛团队已经聚集在一起，将基于引力的天体物理学的原始研究，包括黑洞和中子星，整个星系之间的碰撞事件，以及为活动星系核提供动力的中央黑洞引擎，转化为新颖的教育演示。将要展示的原始科学部分是由计算相对论和引力中心的科学家们创造的。项目成果包括现场表演和一个项目网站，其中有教育材料和录制表演的虚拟游览。现场表演将包括舞蹈和计算机生成的空间现象可视化，并辅以讨论和互动组件，以吸引观众之前和之后的介绍。混合方法评估将深入了解如何利用舞蹈媒介吸引STEM领域的观众，并增加对STEM内容领域的了解，这些领域以前几乎没有调查过，但可能与服务不足的观众的参与高度相关。演出计划在纽约、俄亥俄州、康涅狄格州、罗得岛、华盛顿、哥伦比亚特区、宾夕法尼亚州和马里兰州的选定地点进行。据估计，该项目将直接影响7 000人，其中约一半是聋人或听力障碍者。聋人和重听人群在科学教育方面的服务严重不足。这个项目是一个努力，以弥合这一差距，提供创造性的模式，向公众传播当代科学概念。目标受众的学习成果包括提高对STEM的认识和兴趣，从引力物理学和天体物理学领域获得信息和基本概念，以及提高对科学与艺术之间关系的认识。项目活动将通过罗切斯特理工学院主办的网站以及Facebook、Twitter和Google+等社交网站进行宣传。还将通过科学节和媒体活动宣传该项目。

The Rochester Institute of Technology's National Technical Institute for the Deaf (NTID) and Center for Computational Relativity and Gravitation (CCRG) will collaborate on a CRPA project designed to develop a dance-based performance to educate deaf and hard of hearing students on astrophysics concepts. This project seeks to address the following goals: 1) provide all audience members with access to scientific information in an inherently engaging and stimulating manner; 2) facilitate the acquisition of scientific knowledge in all audience members, including deaf and hard-of-hearing individuals, with special reference to general information and basic concepts from the fields of gravitational physics and astrophysics; and 3) stimulate general interest in STEM fields within all audience members. An extensive team of physicists, arts faculty, computer scientists, performance experts, and evaluators have assembled to translate original research on gravity-based astrophysics, including collision events between black-holes and neutron-stars, entire galaxies, and the central black-hole engine that powers active galactic nuclei, into novel educational presentations. The original science to be presented was generated in part by the scientists at the Center for Computational Relativity and Gravitation. Project deliverables include live performances and a project website with educational materials and a virtual tour of the recorded performance. The live performances will include dance and computer generated visualizations of space phenomena, supplemented with discussion and interactive components to engage audiences both before and after the presentation. The mixed-method evaluation will provide insights into how the medium of dance can be used to engage audiences in STEM fields and increase the understanding of STEM content areas which have had little previous investigation, but may be highly relevant to the engagement of underserved audiences. Performances are planned for select sites in New York, Ohio, Connecticut, Rhode Island, Washington, DC, Pennsylvania and Maryland. It is estimated that the project will directly impact 7,000 individuals, approximately half of whom will be deaf or hard or hearing. Deaf and hard of hearing populations are greatly underserved in science education. This project is an effort to bridge that gap by providing creative models for communicating to the public on contemporary science concepts. Learning outcomes for the target audience include increasing awareness and interest in STEM, acquisition of information and basic concepts from the fields of gravitational physics and astrophysics, and enhancing awareness of relationships among science and the arts. Project activities will be disseminated through the website hosted by the Rochester Institute of Technology, as well as social networking sites including Facebook, Twitter, and Google+. The project will also be promoted through science festivals and media events.