Award Abstract # 0813528
Asteroids! An integrated astronomy education program for small science centers and libraries

NSF Org: DRL
Division of Research on Learning in Formal and Informal Settings (DRL)
Recipient: SPACE SCIENCE INSTITUTE
Initial Amendment Date: September 11, 2008
Latest Amendment Date: November 14, 2012
Award Number: 0813528
Award Instrument: Continuing Grant
Program Manager: Alphonse Desena
DRL
 Division of Research on Learning in Formal and Informal Settings (DRL)
EDU
 Directorate for STEM Education
Start Date: September 1, 2008
End Date: September 30, 2012 (Estimated)
Total Intended Award Amount: $0.00
Total Awarded Amount to Date: $2,958,981.00
Funds Obligated to Date: FY 2008 = $1,030,799.00
FY 2009 = $913,535.00

FY 2010 = $939,031.00

FY 2011 = $75,616.00
History of Investigator:
  • Paul Dusenbery (Principal Investigator)
    dusenbery@spacescience.org
  • Suzanne Gurton (Co-Principal Investigator)
  • James Harold (Co-Principal Investigator)
  • Lisa Curtis (Co-Principal Investigator)
  • Brad McLain (Former Co-Principal Investigator)
Recipient Sponsored Research Office: SPACE SCIENCE INSTITUTE
4765 WALNUT ST STE B
BOULDER
CO  US  80301-2575
(720)974-5888
Sponsor Congressional District: 02
Primary Place of Performance: SPACE SCIENCE INSTITUTE
4765 WALNUT ST STE B
BOULDER
CO  US  80301-2575
Primary Place of Performance
Congressional District:
02
Unique Entity Identifier (UEI): KCBXMSFGQGY3
Parent UEI: KCBXMSFGQGY3
NSF Program(s): AISL
Primary Program Source: 04000809DB NSF Education & Human Resource
04000910DB NSF Education & Human Resource

04001011DB NSF Education & Human Resource

04001112DB NSF Education & Human Resource
Program Reference Code(s): 9177, SMET
Program Element Code(s): 725900
Award Agency Code: 4900
Fund Agency Code: 4900
Assistance Listing Number(s): 47.076

ABSTRACT

The Space Science Institute, in collaboration with the Catawba Science Center (North Carolina), the New Mexico Museum of Natural History and Science, the American Library Association, and the Astronomical Society of the Pacific propose to develop a multi-pronged project on the topic of asteroids. Content areas will include: Asteroids ? Up-close and Personal; Deep Impact; and Planetary Protection.

Deliverables will include a 2,500 square-foot traveling exhibit for small to mid-sized museums; four, 300 square-foot ?small exhibit components? (SECs) for libraries, community centers, etc.; Web 2.0 sites for the project developers and for the public; public education programs; professional development programs for informal STEM professionals; and a study of how Web 2.0 can be used to improve the evaluation of Web sites. The project team will be experimenting with virtual prototyping of exhibit modules as a way to improve exhibit development, especially with team members who are around the country.

Teens from around the country will be enlisted to help inform the project on its deliverables. The Association of Science-Technology Centers will manage the exhibit tour. The Institute for Learning Innovation will conduct the evaluation activities, including the study of Web 2.0 and virtual prototyping tasks.

PROJECT OUTCOMES REPORT

Disclaimer

This Project Outcomes Report for the General Public is displayed verbatim as submitted by the Principal Investigator (PI) for this award. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this Report are those of the PI and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation; NSF has not approved or endorsed its content.

The NSF-funded Asteroids! project includes a traveling exhibit program, a successful youth engagement program, professional development, outreach, a public website, and an extensive evaluation effort. The project was led by the National Center for Interactive Learning (NCIL) at the Space Science Institute (SSI).  Project partners include the Astronomical Society of the Pacific (ASP), Catawba Science Center, New Mexico Museum of Natural History and Science, and the Institute for Learning Innovation (ILI). Below is a description of the outcomes and results of this project.

1)      3,500 and 1,500 sq ft exhibitions, Great Balls of Fire: Comets, Asteroids, and Meteors (GBoF): The exhibits have traveled to museums and science centers around the country.  The large exhibit was hosted by the Science Museum of Virginia, Strategic Air and Space Museum, and Catawba Science Center. It is scheduled to visit Reuben Fleet Science Center, Lowell Observatory, Museum of Science and History in Jacksonville, and the Newark Museum. The small exhibit has visited Tyler Junior College Planetarium, Columbia Memorial Space Center, and Flandrau Planetarium. It will travel to the North Museum in Pennsylvania, and probably to the Henderson Space and Science Center in Nevada.

 

Both exhibits include Comet and Asteroid Quest (see photo), an immersive, multimedia component that allows visitors to explore the solar system in search of asteroids and comets.  Other components include Science Fact or Fiction, in which visitors compare Hollywood science with reality; the Itokawa Asteroid Model, an accurate depiction of the asteroid with a scale model of the Hayabusa spacecraft that landed on it; What If It Hit My Town, an interactive that lets visitors explore the impact areas from large or small asteroid and comet collisions; and Is it a Rock or a Meteorite? in which visitors use various tests to determine if a rock sample is a meteorite. For complete component descriptions, see www.greatballsoffireexhibit.org.

 

Finding Neo: This is a small exhibit about near-Earth objects (NEOs) developed for public libraries. It includes a pop-up banner and two computer kiosks with games (Rubble Pile and What If It Hit My Town), as well as a video about amateur astronomers who are tracking asteroids.

 

2)      Youth Engagement Program: The Asteroids project – with partners Catawba Science Center, New Mexico Museum of Natural History, and Sunset Middle School – developed a Student Asteroid Team (SAT) model grounded in existing research and practices for successful youth programs in out-of-school settings. Beginning in 7th grade and continuing through their 8th grade year, the students participated in experiences related to the project’s space science content, scientific practice, the design process, and evaluation. In addition, each team created a project deliverable focused on space science content that allowed them to work through an authentic design, development, and fabrication process. They produced videos, games, and an activity cart for the large GBoF exhibit.

 

3)      Professional Development: The project conducted professional development programs for informal science educators, teachers, and museum docents. Teachers and docents participated in workshops about the exhibit content at the Science Museum of Virginia and the Columbia Memorial Space Center. The Association of Science-Technology Centers, a project partner, hosted an online forum for informal science educators that focused on how the Asteroids team successfully integra...

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