Visitor Interactions in Microbiology: A New Genre of Science Museum Exhibits

微生物学中的参观者互动：科学博物馆展览的新类型

• 批准号: 1612831
• 负责人: Hans Riedel-Kruse
• 金额: $ 33万
• 依托单位: Stanford University
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2016
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2016-09-01 至 2019-08-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=1612831&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Visitor; Interactions; Microbiology; New; Genre

The project will research and further develop an interactive platform, Visitor Interactions in Microbiology (VIM), that enables museum visitors to influence and learn about the behavior of live microorganisms. Hands-on museum exhibits encourage visitors to engage with, and manipulate, scientific content. Currently, museum visitors experience microbiology by observing microorganisms through a microscope, through models, or through simulations, all of which limit interactivity. With the VIM platform, visitors draw on a screen or use a Kinect motion sensor to generate microscopic light images. The single celled organisms respond to these images in real-time. Preliminary testing shows that the platform has significant potential to promote prolonged engagement and science inquiry by visitors. The project will develop and research additional technological and design considerations to understand how VIM can be translated into effective museum exhibits. This project is supported by the Advancing Informal STEM Learning (AISL) program which funds research and innovative resources for use in a variety of settings as a part of its overall strategy to enhance learning in informal environments.Project researchers will first compare VIM to existing microscopic exhibits to investigate both advantages as well as limitations with the platform. Based on that research, three iterations of prototypes of VIM and user testing will explore possible extensions of VIM with respect to modes of visitor interactions, types of organisms and types of stimuli. In addition to improving the VIM platform, the knowledge gained from this study will inform a new approach to informal science learning -- an approach that supports self-directed inquiry, interest in microbiology, and interest in underlying technology. The project will produce: (1) research results concerning the potential of VIM and the variety of interaction modes that are effective using the system and (2) an open-source catalogue of hardware, software and protocol instructions that will enable other institutions to take advantage of the research on VIM. Project research findings and resources will be widely disseminated to practitioners via conferences and professional journals. The research will provide the foundation for future work that will include the design of a permanent exhibition.

该项目将研究和进一步开发一个互动平台，即微生物学游客互动（Vim），使博物馆游客能够影响和了解活微生物的行为。 动手博物馆展品鼓励游客参与，并操纵，科学内容。目前，博物馆参观者通过显微镜、模型或模拟来观察微生物，从而体验微生物学，所有这些都限制了互动性。通过Vim平台，参观者可以在屏幕上画画或使用Kinect运动传感器生成显微镜下的光图像。 单细胞生物实时响应这些图像。 初步测试表明，该平台在促进访问者的长期参与和科学探究方面具有巨大潜力。 该项目将开发和研究更多的技术和设计考虑因素，以了解如何将Vim转化为有效的博物馆展品。 该项目由推进非正式STEM学习（AISL）计划支持，该计划资助研究和创新资源，用于各种环境，作为其整体战略的一部分，以加强非正式环境中的学习。项目研究人员将首先将Vim与现有的微观展品进行比较，以调查该平台的优势和局限性。 基于这项研究，Vim原型和用户测试的三次迭代将探索Vim在访问者交互模式、生物类型和刺激类型方面的可能扩展。 除了改进Vim平台之外，从这项研究中获得的知识还将为非正式科学学习提供一种新的方法--一种支持自我导向探究、对微生物学的兴趣和对基础技术的兴趣的方法。 该项目将产生：（1）关于Vim潜力和有效使用该系统的各种交互模式的研究结果;（2）硬件、软件和协议指令的开源目录，使其他机构能够利用Vim研究。 项目研究结果和资源将通过会议和专业期刊广泛传播给从业人员。 这项研究将为未来的工作奠定基础，包括设计一个永久性的展览。