Collaborative Research: Interpreters and Scientists Working On Our Parks

作为加强非正式环境中学习的整体战略的一部分，推进非正式STEM学习（AISL）计划为各种环境中使用的创新资源提供资金。 该项目旨在通过将美国国家公园系统作为科学教育的资源来加强该系统。利用国家公园进行科学教育的好处是，它们是动态变化的自然环境，为公民提供了无数的探索途径。 该项目将建立公园科学家之间的合作，他们的工作发生在公众视线之外，而口译员每年都能看到数百万游客。 基于在卡尔斯巴德洞穴国家公园进行的试点研究，研究人员将在六个具有不同特点的国家公园中推广这项工作。这一努力的合作伙伴包括温斯顿-塞勒姆州立大学和TERC公司。该项目的目标是建立一个国家公园如何成为科学教育和学习资源的模式。该项目将集中在六个国家公园正在进行的研究，这些研究通常由来自学术机构的科学家进行。科学家们之所以选择每个公园进行研究，是因为它们具有独特的特征，例如，卡尔斯巴德洞穴的独特特征是蝙蝠数量。这项工作的主要方法是将科学家的研究成果转化为公园游客的研究成果，使这个过程变得愉快，信息丰富，发人深省。在这一过程的每一步都将包括评价内容，以便不仅确定是否发生了学习，而且确定科学转化的有效性。

As part of its overall strategy to enhance learning in informal environments, the Advancing Informal STEM Learning (AISL) program funds innovative resources for use in a variety of settings. This project aims to enhance the National Parks System in the U.S. by engaging the system as a resource for science education. The advantage of using national parks for science education is that they are natural settings with dynamic changes and offering countless avenues for citizen inquiry. The project will build collaborations between park-based scientists whose work happens out of the public eye and interpreters who are visible to millions of annual visitors. Based on pilot studies done at Carlsbad Caverns National Park, the researchers will extend this work in six national parks with different characteristics. Partners in this endeavor include Winston-Salem State University, and TERC, Inc. This project's goal is to establish a model for how national parks can be resources for science education and learning. The project will concentrate on the that is being done in six national parks, by scientists who are generally from academic institutions. The scientists have selected each park for research because of its unique features, for example, Carlsbad Caverns' unique feature is its bat population. The main methodology of this proposed effort is to translate these research endeavors and results from the scientists to the park visitors in such ways as to make the process enjoyable, informative, and thought-provoking. Evaluation elements will be included every step in this process in order to not only determine if learning has occurred but also how effectively the science has been translated.