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)具有深远影响的一系列当代“新兴”技术涵盖生物工程、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如火如荼，公众非常需要理解、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项综合活动，以玛丽·雪莱的小说《科学怪人》中首次呈现的这些主题为基础，该书将于2018年庆祝其1818年出版200周年。这三个公共成果是：1)在线数字博物馆，公众积极共同创作和管理其内容；2)桌面编程活动套件；3)一套制作活动。该项目还将编制专业发展成果：讲习班和相关材料，以提高从业人员参与社会科学问题的能力。该倡议由推进非正式STEM学习计划(AISL)资助，该计划旨在促进对非正式环境中STEM学习的设计和发展的新方法和基于证据的理解。这项由亚利桑那州立大学及其全国各地的博物馆和图书馆合作者开展的项目将检验这样一种假设，即让公众接触到集成的跨媒体环境中的互动、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，利用数字工具发展他们21世纪的技能，并增加他们对社会中科学问题的理解、能力和效能感。这三种截然不同但相互关联的互动模式为对跨媒体环境的潜力进行定性和定量的混合方法研究提供了机会，以提高公众单独和集体工作的能力，从而对社会中的科学问题感兴趣和参与。

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.