Increasing Learning and Efficacy about Emerging Technologies through Transmedia Engagement by the Public in Science-in-Society Activities

对社会（经济、社会、伦理等）具有深远影响的当代“新兴”技术的范围是广泛的，包括生物工程、机器人和人工智能、遗传学、神经和认知科学以及合成生物学等领域。这些技术的发展步伐正在全速前进，需要公众的理解、参与和积极参与决策。这个为期四年的项目的主要目标是创建、分发和研究一套涉及当前和持久的社会科学主题的三种综合活动，以玛丽·雪莱的小说《弗兰肯斯坦》（Frankenstein）首次提出的主题为基础，该小说将于2018年庆祝1818年出版200周年。三个公共交付成果是：1)一个由公众积极共同创作和策展内容的在线数字博物馆；2)桌面编程活动工具包；3)一套制作活动。该项目还将产生专业发展成果：讲习班和相关材料，以提高从业人员在科学与社会问题上吸引多种多样公众的能力。该倡议由推进非正式STEM学习（AISL）计划资助，该计划旨在推进非正式环境中STEM学习的设计和开发的新方法和基于证据的理解。这包括提供多种途径，扩大STEM学习经验的获取和参与，推进非正式环境中STEM学习的创新研究和评估，以及发展参与者对深度学习的理解。亚利桑那州立大学及其全国各地的博物馆和图书馆合作伙伴的这个项目将检验这样一个假设，即让公众在一个综合的跨媒体环境中接触互动、创造性和广泛参与的机会，将培养他们对科学、技术、工程和数学（STEM）的兴趣，发展他们使用数字工具的21世纪技能，并提高他们的理解、能力、以及对社会科学问题的效能感。这三种截然不同但相互关联的互动模式为跨媒体环境的潜力提供了定性和定量、混合方法研究的机会，以提高公众个人和集体工作的能力，从而对社会科学问题产生兴趣并参与其中。

The range of contemporary "emerging" technologies with far-reaching implications for society (economic, social, ethical, etc.) is vast, encompassing such areas as bioengineering, robotics and artificial intelligence, genetics, neuro and cognitive sciences, and synthetic biology. The pace of development of these technologies is in full gear, where the need for public understanding, engagement and active participation in decision-making is great. The primary goal of this four-year project is to create, distribute and study a set of three integrated activities that involve current and enduring science-in-society themes, building on these themes as first presented in Mary Shelley's novel, Frankenstein, which will be celebrating in 2018 the 200th anniversary of its publication in 1818. The three public deliverables are: 1) an online digital museum with active co-creation and curation of its content by the public; 2) activities kits for table-top programming; and 3) a set of Making activities. The project will also produce professional development deliverables: workshops and associated materials to increase practitioners' capacity to engage multiple and diverse publics in science-in-society issues. The initiative is funded by the Advancing Informal STEM Learning (AISL) program, which seeks to advance new approaches to, and evidence-based understanding of, the design and development of STEM learning in informal environments. This includes providing multiple pathways for broadening access to and engagement in STEM learning experiences, advancing innovative research on and assessment of STEM learning in informal environments, and developing understandings of deeper learning by participants.This project by Arizona State University and their museum and library collaborators around the country will examine the hypothesis that exposing publics to opportunities for interactive, creative, and extensive engagement within an integrated transmedia environment will foster their interest in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM), develop their 21st century skills with digital tools, and increase their understanding, ability, and feelings of efficacy around issues in science-in-society. These three distinct yet interlocking modes of interaction provide opportunities for qualitative and quantitative, mixed-methods research on the potential of transmedia environments to increase the ability of publics to work individually and collectively to become interested in and involved with science-in-society issues.