A media project engaging girls in astrophysics during the 2024 total solar eclipse

美国人的STEM知识和能力水平低得令人不安。“国家成绩单”显示，所有测试学生的平均成绩，在所有科学内容领域，低于熟练水平（NAEP 2016）。无数的项目旨在弥补这些不足，并为美国人，特别是年轻人的全球竞争力做好准备。然而，很少有人有意地强调创造力在科学研究中的重要性。科学创造力是一种非线性的发散性思维过程，它探索问题或问题的许多可能的解决方案，而不是遵循一套特定的逻辑步骤来得出一个解决方案或一个正确答案的收敛性思维过程。创造力的特点是质疑现象和想象解决方案的能力，通常是通过跳出框框思考。科学创造力在天体物理学中尤为重要，因为在真实的世界中检验一个人的理论往往是不切实际的，甚至是不可能的。在这些情况下，科学家依靠思维实验，这使他们能够假设和可视化各种场景的逻辑进展和最终结果，只使用他们头脑中的“实验室”。该项目通过突出爱因斯坦和当代天体物理学家的工作来解决提供科学创造力模型的需求，这些工作使用思想实验来测试想法并在他们的头脑中想象结果。它将利用公众对背靠背环形（2023年）和总太阳能的巨大兴趣，（2024年日食）的学习机会和资源，包括1）一个3D的巨大屏幕，圆顶，天文馆电影具有开创性的发现阿尔伯特爱因斯坦和当代天体物理学家安德烈盖兹博士和Nergis Mavalvala; 2）一系列与电影主题相关的学习活动，使学习者为太阳活动做好准备; 3）一项针对女孩的战略参与方案，将建设非正规教育工作者的能力，以引导年轻妇女探索空间科学; 4）一个公民科学顶点项目，该项目将与动态Eclipse广播（DEB）倡议合作，让年轻女性参与收集数据并为我们对宇宙运作的理解做出贡献。项目合作伙伴包括宇宙图片，圣路易斯科学中心，南伊利诺伊大学卡本代尔STEM和教育研究中心，以及国家女孩合作项目。Rockman等人进行的评估研究议程将为项目组成部分的发展提供信息，衡量成果和影响，并进一步了解非正式科学教育领域，以促进非正式STEM学习中的性别平等。形成性研究将在开发阶段评估电影的吸引力和参与活动，以提供反馈和改进。这些研究将包括与增加对重力、黑洞和引力波等特定科学概念的理解有关的措施。研究还将衡量活动的影响，例如承认妇女对STEM追求所做的贡献。全面的总结性评估将研究项目可交付成果对大银幕电影观众、女孩团体领导者和参与计划参与者的影响，为非正式STEM领域积累有关学习空间科学和鼓励科学追求的最佳实践的知识。一项利用新的数据收集技术进行的相关研究将产生关于如何鼓励两性平等的新信息。研究问题包括：1）参与强调科学好奇心的参与计划，接触匹配的性别角色模型，以及参与公民科学项目如何影响中学女生调查空间科学的能力和科学社区的归属感？2)与性别匹配的成年科学家、同龄人和女孩团体领导人的互动如何调节女孩的经历？研究人员将使用适合收集的数据的定量和定性分析技术，以记录该项目如何，为谁以及在什么条件下促进好奇心，赋权和归属感。该创新发展项目由推进非正式STEM学习（AISL）计划资助，该计划旨在（a）推进非正式环境中STEM学习的设计和发展的新方法和基于证据的理解;（B）提供多种途径，以扩大STEM学习经验的获取和参与;（c）推进非正式环境中STEM学习的创新研究和评估;（d）促进非正式环境中STEM学习的创新研究。以及（d）让所有年龄的公众在非正式环境中学习STEM。共同资助是由LIGO研究支持计划提供的，该计划为美国的引力波探测提供资金。这个奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并已被认为是值得通过使用基金会的智力价值和更广泛的影响审查标准的评估支持。

The state of Americans’ STEM knowledge and competency is disappointingly low. “The Nation’s Report Card” reveals that the average scores of all tested students, in all science content areas, fall below proficiency levels (NAEP 2016). Countless programs aim to redress these deficiencies and prepare Americans, especially youth, for global competitiveness. However, few intentionally call out the importance of creativity in scientific investigation. Scientific creativity is a non-linear, divergent thinking process that explores many possible solutions to a problem or issue, as opposed to a convergent thinking process that follows a particular set of logical steps to arrive at one solution or one correct answer. Creativity is characterized by the ability to question phenomena and to imagine solutions, often by thinking outside the box. Scientific creativity is especially important in astrophysics, where it’s frequently impractical or even impossible to test one’s theories in the real world. In these cases, scientists rely on thought experiments, which allow them to hypothesize and visualize the logical progressions and ultimate outcomes of various scenarios, using only the “lab” in their head. This Project addresses the need to provide models of scientific creativity by highlighting the work of Einstein and contemporary astrophysicists using thought experiments to test ideas and imagine outcomes in their minds. It will leverage the large public interest in the back to back annular (2023) and total solar (2024 eclipse) with learning opportunities and resources that include 1) a 3D giant screen, dome, and planetarium film featuring the groundbreaking discoveries of Albert Einstein and contemporary astrophysicists Drs. Andrea Ghez and Nergis Mavalvala; 2) a collection of learning activities that connect to the themes of the film and prepare learners for the solar events; 3) a strategic engagement program for girls that will build the capacity of informal educators to lead young women in exploration of space science; 4) a citizen science capstone project which will engage young women in collecting data and contributing to our understanding of the workings of the universe, in collaboration with the Dynamic Eclipse Broadcast (DEB) Initiative. Project partners include Cosmic Pictures, the St. Louis Science Center, the University of Southern Illinois-Carbondale STEM and Education Research Center, and the National Girls Collaborative Project. An evaluative-research agenda conducted by Rockman et al, will inform development of the project’s components, measure outcomes and impacts, and further knowledge for the informal science education field to advance gender equity in informal STEM learning. Formative studies will assess appeal of the film and engagement activities during development phases to provide feedback and make improvements. The studies will include measures related to increased comprehension of specific science concepts such as gravity, black holes, and gravitational waves. Studies will also measure impacts of the activities, such as recognizing of the contribution women have made to STEM pursuits. A comprehensive summative evaluation will study the impacts of project deliverables on giant screen film viewers, girl-group leaders, and engagement program participants, building knowledge for the informal STEM field about best practices for learning about space science and encouraging scientific pursuits. A connected research study utilizing novel data collection techniques will yield new information about how to encourage gender equity. Research questions include: 1) How does participation in the engagement program that emphasizes scientific curiosity, exposure to matched-gender role models, and participation in a citizen science project influence middle school girls’ empowerment to investigate space science and sense of belonging in a scientific community? 2) How do interactions with matched-gender adult scientists, near peers, and girl group leaders mediate girls’ experiences? Researchers will use a mix of quantitative and qualitative analysis techniques appropriate for the data collected to document how, for whom, and under what conditions the project facilitates curiosity, empowerment, and a sense of belonging. This Innovations in Development project is funded by the Advancing Informal STEM Learning (AISL) program, which seeks to (a) advance new approaches to and evidence-based understanding of the design and development of STEM learning in informal environments; (b) provide multiple pathways for broadening access to and engagement in STEM learning experiences; (c) advance innovative research on and assessment of STEM learning in informal environments; and (d) engage the public of all ages in learning STEM in informal environments. Co-funding was provided by the LIGO Research Support program that funds the detection of gravitational waves in the U. S.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.