Multi-Site Public Engagement with Science - Synthetic Biology (Innovations in Development)

该项目的目的是在科学博物馆中让科学家、工程师和公众观众就新兴研究领域合成生物学进行对话。合成生物学应用科学和工程来创造新的生物系统，并重新设计现有的生物系统，以达到有用的目的。这是一个重要的新的研究和发展领域，提出了有关潜在利益，成本和风险的社会问题。研究人员和公众之间的对话将不仅关注合成生物学是什么以及该领域的研究是如何进行的，而且还关注这项工作的潜在产品，成果和对社会的影响。研究人员和公众将探讨个人和社会的价值观和优先事项，以及期望的研究成果，使两个群体可以相互学习。公众参与者将受益于了解这一研究领域，研究人员将受益于直接听取公众参与者的公众观点。该项目将由科学博物馆与美国科学促进会，合成生物学工程研究中心，明尼苏达科学博物馆，伊萨卡科学中心以及其他几所大学和科学博物馆的合作伙伴领导。它由推进非正式STEM学习（AISL）计划资助，该计划旨在推进非正式环境中STEM学习的设计和开发的新方法和基于证据的理解。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，该项目旨在超越植根于“公众对科学的理解”模式的与公众沟通的传统模式，公众参与科学（PES）。该项目将支持非正规教育机构作为这种生态系统服务费用支付活动的促进者，通过这些活动，研究专家和各种公众可以相互学习。形成性评价将支持开发评价工具，从业人员可以利用这些工具来衡量公众参与活动对科学家和公众参与者的影响。总结性评估将衡量该项目对参与制定该项目的非正规科学教育工作者和研究人员的影响。在项目的第一年，两种参与活动将在美国各地的八个试点地点进行测试。第一种将是“展示”活动的重点，研究人员将展示合成生物学的基础知识，并与博物馆参观者讨论他们的研究工作。第二类将是“论坛”活动的重点，其中多方向的对话侧重于社会影响和参与者的优先事项，以最大限度地提高这一新领域的效益，同时尽量减少风险。第一年的工作将告知公众参与材料的工具包的开发，这将支持公众参与合成生物学在第二年在全美多达200个地点的成功实践和基础设施开发的纳米非正式科学教育网络，以支持NanoDays事件将用于公众参与合成生物学的广泛传播。 当项目完成时，将在线提供一套工具和指南，用于开发，实施和评估将科学家和公众聚集在一起的参与活动，特别是关于合成生物学，但适用于其他新兴研究主题。非正式科学教育领域将更好地了解如何让科学家、工程师和公众共同参与讨论新兴技术的社会影响，以及如何评估研究人员和公众参与的质量。该项目还将通过在科学博物馆举行的各种公众参与活动，提供与合成生物学相关的社会问题的知情公众意见。

The aim of this project is to create conversations in science museums among scientists, engineers, and public audiences about an emerging research field, synthetic biology. Synthetic biology applies science and engineering to create new biological systems, and re-design existing biological systems, for useful purposes. This is an important new area of research and development that raises societal questions about potential benefits, costs, and risks. Conversations between researchers and public audiences will focus not only on what synthetic biology is and how research in the field is carried out, but also on the potential products, outcomes, and implications for society of this work. Researchers and publics will explore personal and societal values and priorities as well as desired research outcomes so that both groups can learn from each other. Public participants will benefit from knowing about this field of research, and researchers will benefit from hearing public perspectives directly from the public participants. This project will be led by the Museum of Science with partners at the American Association for the Advancement of Science, the Synthetic Biology Engineering Research Center, the Science Museum of Minnesota, the Ithaca Sciencenter, and several other universities and science museums. It is funded by the Advancing Informal STEM Learning (AISL) program, which 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 is aimed at pushing beyond traditional modes of communicating with public audiences rooted in "public understanding of science" modalities into the mechanisms and perspectives associated with "public engagement with science" (PES). The project will support informal educational institutions as facilitators of such PES activities through which mutual learning takes place among research experts and various publics. Formative evaluation will support the development of evaluation tools that practitioners can use themselves to measure impacts of public engagement activities on both scientist and public participants. Summative evaluation will measure the impacts of the project on informal science education practitioners and researchers participating in the development of the project. In the first year of the project, two kinds of engagement activities will be tested at eight pilot sites across the U.S. The first kind will be the focus of "showcase" events, in which researchers demonstrate and talk with museum visitors about the basics of synthetic biology and their research work. The second kind will be the focus of "forum" events in which the multi-directional conversations focus on societal implications and participants' priorities for maximizing the benefits of this new field while minimizing the risks. The work of the first year will inform development of a kit of public engagement materials that will support widespread public engagement with synthetic biology in the second year at up to 200 sites across the U.S. Successful practices and infrastructure developed by the Nanoscale Informal Science Education Network to support NanoDays events will be use for this broad dissemination of pubic engagement in synthetic biology in year 2. When the project is complete a set of tools and guides will be provided online for developing, implementing, and evaluating engagement events that bring scientists and publics together, specifically about synthetic biology, but adaptable to other emerging research topics. The informal science education field will have a better understanding of how to get scientists, engineers, and publics to engage together in discussions about the societal implications of emerging technologies, and how to evaluate the quality of that engagement for both the researchers and the publics involved. The project will also provide a sense of informed public views on societal issues related to synthetic biology that emerge through a variety of public engagement activities that take place in science museums.