Collaborative Research: Broad Implementation of Science Festival Alliance

合作研究：科学节联盟的广泛实施

• 批准号: 1222524
• 负责人: Todd Boyette
• 金额: $ 31.27万
• 依托单位: University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2012
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2012-12-01 至 2016-11-30
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=1222524&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Collaborative; Research; Broad; Implementation; Science

This broader implementation project will create a professional network of individuals and institutions increasing their capacity to develop, implement, and evaluate the impact of large scale community science festivals. The project builds on a previous award that supported the implementation of science festivals in Cambridge, MA; San Francisco, San Diego, and Philadelphia. Each festival reached 50-70,000 attendees, many of them families from low-income, ethnic communities. Festival organizers and participants include science center practitioners, Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) researchers, STEM related businesses, public television STEM producers, universities, K-12 schools, and government and foundation stakeholders. The summative evaluation indicated significant impacts on participant's STEM interest, learning, and connections to STEM resources in their community. The number of science festivals across the country is increasing. Consequently this new project will create a professional network with numerous benefits to professionals in the Informal Science Education (ISE) field and other stakeholders including: timely access to information, knowledge and experience related to science festivals; rich relationships to draw on when facing challenges; credibility of the festival concept; ability to partner with multiple festivals and magnify the reach of existing ISE institutions and program; diffusion of knowledge and innovation; and collective intelligence and inclusive consultation. It is expected that the network will involve supporting approximately 50 science festivals during the grant period. A business plan will be developed for long term sustainability of the network and the subsequent growth of science festivals. This is a collaborative proposal with 4 project partners who have distinct roles in creating and sustaining the network: MIT, University of California at San Francisco, University of North Carolina/Morehead Planetarium and Science Center, and The Franklin Institute.MIT's project deliverables include hosting the central management and administrative functions of the network and providing conferences, workshops, individual mentoring of new science festival champions, maintaining the network website, etc. UCSF will develop tools, resources, and linkages to increase participation of scientists in festivals. UNC/Morehead Planetarium and Science Center will provide expertise in statewide festival organizing. The Franklin Institute will help network participants build capacity for engaging low-income families with programming examples, community asset analysis tools, and webinars. This multi-hub approach is a new innovative strategy for creating and sustaining the first ever professional network for science festival organizers.The project evaluation will focus on the network's vibrancy, connectivity and effect. Network vibrancy impact data will be collected on how members share goals, enhance leadership, and expand geographic and model diversity. Network connectivity evaluation will study the strength and growth of the relationships within the SFA network. Network effects will study the ways the Science Festival Alliance (SFA) network is achieving science festival organizational capacity looking at increases in the number of science festivals, geographic spread, science festival innovations, and the presence of a SFA sustainability plan.This project will add new knowledge about the impact of networks on the development and impact of science festivals throughout the country.

这一更广泛的实施项目将创建个人和机构的专业网络，提高他们制定、实施和评估大型社区科学节的影响的能力。该项目建立在之前一个奖项的基础上，该奖项支持在马萨诸塞州剑桥、旧金山、圣地亚哥和费城举办科学节。每个节日都有5-70,000人参加，其中许多是来自低收入民族社区的家庭。艺术节的组织者和参与者包括科学中心从业者、科学、技术、工程和数学(STEM)研究人员、STEM相关企业、公共电视STEM制片人、大学、K-12学校以及政府和基金会利益相关者。总结性评估表明，对参与者的STEM兴趣、学习以及与社区中STEM资源的联系有显著影响。全国各地的科学节的数量正在增加。因此，这个新项目将创建一个专业网络，为非正式科学教育(ISE)领域的专业人员和其他利益相关者带来许多好处，包括：及时获得与科学节有关的信息、知识和经验；面临挑战时可利用的丰富关系；艺术节概念的可信度；与多个艺术节合作并扩大现有ISE机构和计划的覆盖范围的能力；知识和创新的传播；以及集体智慧和包容性咨询。预计该网络将在赠款期间支持大约50个科学节。将为该网络的长期可持续性和随后的科学节的发展制定一项业务计划。这是一项与4个在创建和维持该网络方面扮演不同角色的项目合作伙伴的合作提案：麻省理工学院、加州大学旧金山分校、北卡罗来纳大学/莫尔黑德天文馆和科学中心以及富兰克林研究所。麻省理工学院的项目成果包括主持该网络的中央管理和行政职能，提供会议、研讨会、对新科学节冠军的个人指导、维护网络网站等。加州大学旧金山分校将开发工具、资源和链接，以增加科学家在节日中的参与。北卡罗来纳大学/莫尔黑德天文馆和科学中心将在全州范围内的节日组织方面提供专业知识。富兰克林研究所将帮助网络参与者建立能力，通过编程范例、社区资产分析工具和网络研讨会吸引低收入家庭。这种多枢纽的方法是一种新的创新战略，旨在为科学节组织者创建和维持有史以来第一个专业网络。项目评估将侧重于网络的活力、连接性和效果。将收集有关成员如何共享目标、增强领导力以及扩大地理和模式多样性的网络活力影响数据。网络连通性评估将研究SFA网络中关系的强度和增长。网络效应将研究科学节联盟(SFA)网络实现科学节组织能力的方式，着眼于科学节数量的增加、地理传播、科学节创新以及SFA可持续发展计划的存在。该项目将增加关于网络对全国科学节发展和影响的新知识。