Collaborative Research: Water in the Four Corners Region: Libraries and Exhibits Connecting and Engaging Communities with Their Water Systems

作为其整体战略的一部分，以加强在非正式环境中的学习，推进非正式STEM学习（AISL）计划旨在推进新的方法，并以证据为基础的理解，在非正式环境中的STEM学习的设计和开发。这包括提供多种途径，以扩大获得和参与STEM学习经验，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入学习的理解。该项目将使美国西南部四角地区13个农村、部落和西班牙裔社区的社区成员和青年参与水的科学和文化资产。水是这一地理区域的重要和稀缺资源。四角地区的年降水量低，水资源的可用性每年波动很大。因此，水是社区成员非常感兴趣的话题，他们的生活受到干旱，洪水和野火等与水有关的事件的影响。农村部落和西班牙裔社区在科学规划方面往往服务不足;他们的公共图书馆往往充当当地的科学中心。该项目的跨学科团队将为小型图书馆开发、部署、研究和评估一个互动式巡回展览，围绕区域水主题设计，并辅以互动式编程和社区参与活动。此外，该小组还将通过在东道图书馆管理员中培养实践社区，包括通过支助系统-星星图书馆网络-参与，来建设当地能力，以增加其科学方案编制。该项目创建了一个围绕水主题的巡回展览和补充节目。通过展览共同设计模式，社区将在展览开发中提供投入，确定对他们至关重要的水主题，并吸引多代观众。该展览将水的迷人吸引力与潜在的科学内容和社区背景相结合，让赞助人有机会通过积极的学习站，信息面板，公民科学活动和互动的区域流域模型来探索这些主题。水的艺术表现将由社区团体开发，并作为一个动态的显示元素纳入展览。项目的目标是：（1）激发兴趣，并增加对水的理解，作为一个关键的资源和文化资产在农村，部落和西班牙裔社区在四角地区。(2)为服务不足的农村、部落和西班牙裔社区提供更多的参与方案，重点是四角地区水资源的科学和文化方面。(3)建设图书馆实施以水为重点的科学计划的能力，并增加适合这些非正式学习环境的可用科学学习和科学传播资源。（4）为参与的图书馆员建立实践社区（CoP），以支持他们的编程和内容知识的发展。(5)推进对非正式学习环境的研究，以及它们在发展社区成员的科学生态系统和科学身份方面的作用，特别是在图书馆环境中。项目团队将严格评估项目方法和组件在多大程度上激发了赞助人对科学的兴趣，增加了科学知识，并支持建立个人科学身份。该模型基于STEM学习生态系统框架。强有力的评估将通过前端需求评估和实施战略的迭代修订周期来指导项目开发。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并被认为值得通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估来支持。

As part of its overall strategy to enhance learning in informal environments, the Advancing Informal STEM Learning (AISL) program 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 will engage community members and youth in 13 rural, tribal, and Hispanic communities in the Four Corners Region of the south western U.S. with the science and cultural assets of water. Water is a significant and scarce resource in this geographic area. The Four Corners Region experiences low annual precipitation and high year-to-year fluctuations in water availability. Thus, water is a topic of great interest to community members, whose lives are shaped by water-related events such as drought, flood, and wildfires. Rural tribal, and Hispanic communities are often underserved with respect to science programming; their public libraries often function as the local science center. The project's inter-disciplinary team will develop, deploy, research, and evaluate an interactive traveling exhibit for small libraries, designed around regional water topics and complemented by interactive programming and community engagement events. Additionally, the team will build local capacity by fostering a community of practice among the host librarians, including participation through a support system--the STAR Library Network--to increase their science programming. This project creates a traveling exhibit and complementary programming around water topics. Through an exhibit co-design model, communities will provide input in the exhibit development, identify water topics that are critical to them, and engage the multi-generational audiences. The exhibit merges the captivating attraction of water with the underlying science content and community context, giving patrons the opportunity to explore these topics through active learning stations, informational panels, citizen science-based activities, and an interactive regional watershed model. Artistic representations of water will be developed by community groups and incorporated into the exhibit as a dynamic display element. Project goals are to:(1) Spark interest in and increase understanding of water as a critical resource and cultural asset across rural, tribal, and Hispanic communities in the Four Corners Region.(2) Increase availability of and access to engaging programming for underserved rural, tribal, and Hispanic communities focusing on the science and cultural aspects of water in the Four Corners Region.(3) Build capacity for libraries to implement water-focused science programs, and increase available science learning and science communication resources tailored to these informal learning settings.(4 ) Foster a Community of Practice (CoP) for participating librarians to support the development of their programming and content knowledge.(5) Advance the body of research on informal learning environments and their role in developing community members' science ecosystems and science identities, particularly in library settings.The project team will rigorously assess the extent to which program approaches and components stimulate patrons' interest in science, increase science knowledge, and support building a personal science identity. The model is based on the STEM Learning Ecosystems Framework. Robust evaluation will guide the program development through a front-end needs assessment and iterative revision cycles of implementation strategies.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.