Human Health, Biodiversity, and Microbial Ecology: Strategies to Educate

描述（由申请人提供）：美国自然历史博物馆（AMNH）向国家环境保护署申请为期五年的“人类健康、生物多样性和微生物生态学：教育策略”项目的资助。该项目的总体目标是促进公众认识和加深对生物多样性对人类健康的重要影响的理解，特别关注人类微生物组，以及自然创新的多样性——化学的、解剖的和生理的——如何对生物医学研究具有关键价值。实现这一目标的三个具体目标是：(1)通过为公众、学生和教师提供与该领域专家互动的机会，聚焦生物多样性和人类健康交叉领域的新兴研究，在AMNH的大厅了解这一关键主题，并通过AMNH之外的资源加深他们的理解；(2)向公众和科学文化机构提供信息，以便更好地了解受众对生物多样性与人类健康之间关系的具体兴趣、了解程度和知识差距；(3)提供关于学习经验和资源设计的重要见解，这些经验和资源可以有效地吸引和教育不同的受众，使他们了解生物多样性与人类福祉的相关性，并为他们提供工具，以增加他们对这一主题的理解。具体项目内容包括：在AMNH即将举办的毒物展览中加入SEPA展览元素；以生物多样性和人类健康为视角，进行AMNH常设展厅智能手机应用之旅；针对成人、学生和教师的一系列专家对话，以科学咖啡馆的形式为基础；博物馆参观者投票将有助于对生物多样性和人类健康这一主题的公众知识进行差距分析；以及在线资源和传播。外部评价将有助于评估增进公众对生物多样性和人类健康主题了解的所有组成部分的价值，并提供与其他非正式科学机构共享的信息。作为一个领先的科学研究和教育机构，AMNH已做好充分准备，利用其在教育计划和展览方面的专业知识，以及其在比较和分子生物学、系统发育学和生物多样性科学方面的研究能力，与参与NIH的科学家合作，将NIH和其他研究人员的工作翻译和传播给广泛的在线和现场观众。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The American Museum of Natural History (AMNH) requests SEPA support for the five-year project, "Human Health, Biodiversity, and Microbial Ecology: Strategies to Educate." The project's overarching goal is to promote public awareness and deepen understanding of the critical impact of biodiversity on human health, with specific attention to the human microbiome and how the diversity of nature's innovations - chemical, anatomical, and physiological - are of critical value to biomedical research. The three specific aims to achieve this goal are: (1) spotlight emerging research at the intersection of biodiversity and human health by providing the general public, students, and teachers with engaging opportunities to interact with experts in the field, learn about this critical topic in AMNH's hall, and deepen their understanding through resources that extend beyond AMNH's walls; (2) provide information to the public and science cultural institutions that will lead to a better understanding of audiences' specific interests, levels of understanding, and gaps in knowledge concerning the connections between biodiversity and human health; and (3) contribute critical insights about the design of learning experiences and resources effective in engaging and educating diverse audiences about the relevance of biodiversity to human well-being, and giving them the tools to increase their understanding of this topic. Specific project components include: a SEPA exhibition element in AMNH's upcoming exhibit on poison; a smartphone application tour of AMNH permanent exhibition halls through the lens of biodiversity and human health; a series of Conversations with Experts for adults, students, and teachers, based on the Science Cafe format; Museum visitor polling that will contribute to a gap analysis of public knowledge of the topic of biodiversity and human health; and online resources and dissemination. External evaluation will help assess the value of all components in increasing public understanding of biodiversity and human health topics, as well as provide information to be shared with other informal science institutions. As a leading scientific research and education institution, AMNH is well prepared to use its own expertise in educational programming and exhibitions, as well as its research capacity in comparative and molecular biology, phylogenetics, and biodiversity science, to work with participating NIH scientists to translate and disseminate the work of NIH and other researchers to broad online and on-site audiences.