Mobile Laboratory Coalition (MLC) Annual Meeting

描述(由申请者提供)：移动实验室为改善学生接触尖端、动手的科学和技术活动提供了独特的机会；它们也带来了独特的挑战。流动实验室联盟(MLC)成立于2005年，现在被认为是流动科学教育计划的国际伙伴关系，致力于为所有人口提供平等获得科学技术教育和劳动力准备的机会。自2005年以来，MLC每年都会为会员项目、正式和非正式的STEM教育工作者、合作伙伴和该领域的其他关键利益攸关方举办一次会议。这些年度会议对于为流动实验室教育工作者和他们的合作伙伴提供一个论坛，在与其移动实验室计划相关的领域建立和加强自己的知识和技能，以及分享计划的成功和挑战至关重要。没有为移动实验室及其合作伙伴举办的其他会议。拟议的项目旨在通过提供奖学金和战略营销，在未来三年加强和扩大MLC年度会议，以增加MLC的出席人数和成员人数。这一项目将使规模较小的和/或独立的流动实验室方案能够主办年度会议，并扩大参加会议的专门知识范围，这两方面都将使最不发达国家的所有成员和会议与会者受益。会议的预期成果是通过专业发展、发展合作、提高方案质量以及开发评估工具和课程等共享资源，提高各级方案工作人员的工作效率。最终的结果是，参加流动科学实验室项目的学生接受更高质量和更具影响力的科学教育，并对STEM领域的职业可能性有更多的认识。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Mobile laboratories provide a unique opportunity for improving access of students to cutting-edge, hands-on science and technology activities; they also present unique challenges. The Mobile Laboratory Coalition (MLC) was formed in 2005 and is now considered an international partnership of mobile science education programs that are committed to providing equal access opportunities to science and technology education and workforce preparation for all populations. The MLC has held a conference for member programs, formal and informal STEM educators, partners and other key stakeholders in the field annually since 2005. These annual conferences are critically important to provide a forum for mobile laboratory educators and their partners to build and strengthen their own knowledge and skills in areas relevant to their mobile lab program, and to share program successes as well as challenges. There is no other conference for mobile laboratories and their partners. The proposed project seeks to enhance and expand the MLC annual conference over the next three years by offering scholarships and through strategic marketing to increase attendance and membership in the MLC. This project would make it possible for smaller and/or independent mobile laboratory programs to host the annual meeting and broaden the scope of expertise represented at the conference, both of which would benefit all MLC members and conference attendees. The expected outcomes for the conference are an increase in effectiveness of program staff of all levels through professional development, the development of collaborations, improved quality of programs and the development of shared resources such as evaluation tools and curriculum. The end result is that students participating in mobile science laboratory programs receive higher quality and higher impact science education and have greater awareness of the career possibilities in the STEM fields.