MPWG: Girls in Engineering: Hands-On Museum Exhibit Development

八年级是女孩教育中的一个重要阶段，特别是在决定是否走科学和数学的道路上。为了提高对科学和工程的兴趣和能力，我们提出了一个创新的计划，让八年级的女孩和她们的导师(最好是她们的母亲或学校的女教师)一起参加。他们将成为工程团队的一部分，该团队包括一名塔夫茨教员、一名塔夫茨本科生、一名塔夫茨工作人员和一名来自阿克顿发现博物馆的工作人员。五个团队将致力于开发实际动手的科学博物馆展品。每个展览将集中于一个具体的科学/工程原理，将在项目的初始阶段在一个支持性和有趣的学习环境中进行探索。展品将按照主题方法与其他展品联系在一起，并将使用发现学习活动为基础的学习，向人们讲授科学和工程原理。这些展品将在Acton Discovery博物馆展出，并将特别邀请课程。在这些活动期间，学生将成为展品周围活动的促进者。这些博物馆展品是由周围社区的女孩和妇女开发的，这一事实将在展览中得到强调。该项目的成功完成可能会为全国学校、大学和博物馆之间的合作提供一个模式，以提高女孩和年轻妇女的学习体验。

The eighth grade is an important point in a girl's education, particularly in deciding whether or not to follow a science and mathematics track. In order to promote interest and aptitude in science and engineering, we propose an innovated program that involves eighth grade girls with their mentors (preferable the mother or a female teacher from their school). They will be part of an engineering team that includes a Tufts faculty member, a Tufts undergraduate, a Tufts staff member, and a staff member from the Acton Discovery Museum. Five teams will work on developing actual hands-on science-museum exhibits. Each exhibit will focus on a specific science/engineering principle that will be explored during the initial phase of the project in a supportive and fun learning environment. The exhibits will link together with other exhibits following a thematic approach, and will use discovery learning activity-based learning to teach people about science and engineering principles. These exhibits will be displayed at the Acton Discovery Museum and classes will be especially invited. The students will be the facilitators of the activities around the exhibits during these events. The fact that these museum exhibits were developed by girls and women of the surrounding communities will be emphasized in the displays. Successful completion of this project may provide a model for collaboration among schools, universities, and museums nationwide in enhancing learning experiences of girls and young women.