| NSF Org: |
DRL Division of Research on Learning in Formal and Informal Settings (DRL) |
| Recipient: |
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| Initial Amendment Date: | September 1, 2016 |
| Latest Amendment Date: | September 1, 2016 |
| Award Number: | 1612831 |
| Award Instrument: | Standard Grant |
| Program Manager: |
Robert Russell
DRL Division of Research on Learning in Formal and Informal Settings (DRL) EDU Directorate for STEM Education |
| Start Date: | September 1, 2016 |
| End Date: | August 31, 2019 (Estimated) |
| Total Intended Award Amount: | $330,000.00 |
| Total Awarded Amount to Date: | $330,000.00 |
| Funds Obligated to Date: |
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| History of Investigator: |
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| Recipient Sponsored Research Office: |
450 JANE STANFORD WAY STANFORD CA US 94305-2004 (650)723-2300 |
| Sponsor Congressional District: |
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| Primary Place of Performance: |
318 Campus Drive Stanford CA US 94305-5014 |
| Primary Place of
Performance Congressional District: |
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| Unique Entity Identifier (UEI): |
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| Parent UEI: |
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| NSF Program(s): | AISL |
| Primary Program Source: |
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| Program Reference Code(s): |
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| Program Element Code(s): |
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| Award Agency Code: | 4900 |
| Fund Agency Code: | 4900 |
| Assistance Listing Number(s): | 47.076 |
ABSTRACT
The project will research and further develop an interactive platform, Visitor Interactions in Microbiology (VIM), that enables museum visitors to influence and learn about the behavior of live microorganisms. Hands-on museum exhibits encourage visitors to engage with, and manipulate, scientific content. Currently, museum visitors experience microbiology by observing microorganisms through a microscope, through models, or through simulations, all of which limit interactivity. With the VIM platform, visitors draw on a screen or use a Kinect motion sensor to generate microscopic light images. The single celled organisms respond to these images in real-time. Preliminary testing shows that the platform has significant potential to promote prolonged engagement and science inquiry by visitors. The project will develop and research additional technological and design considerations to understand how VIM can be translated into effective museum exhibits. This project is supported by the Advancing Informal STEM Learning (AISL) program which funds research and innovative resources for use in a variety of settings as a part of its overall strategy to enhance learning in informal environments.
Project researchers will first compare VIM to existing microscopic exhibits to investigate both advantages as well as limitations with the platform. Based on that research, three iterations of prototypes of VIM and user testing will explore possible extensions of VIM with respect to modes of visitor interactions, types of organisms and types of stimuli. In addition to improving the VIM platform, the knowledge gained from this study will inform a new approach to informal science learning -- an approach that supports self-directed inquiry, interest in microbiology, and interest in underlying technology. The project will produce: (1) research results concerning the potential of VIM and the variety of interaction modes that are effective using the system and (2) an open-source catalogue of hardware, software and protocol instructions that will enable other institutions to take advantage of the research on VIM. Project research findings and resources will be widely disseminated to practitioners via conferences and professional journals. The research will provide the foundation for future work that will include the design of a permanent exhibition.
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.
?Visitor Interactions in Microbiology (VIM): A New Genre of Science Museum Exhibits?
Modern life sciences and biotechnology bring groundbreaking discoveries and innovations to humanity and supplement digital technologies as crucial engines for economic development. This new reality translates to an increasing need for public engagement with content and practices of biology and biotechnology, and to inspire young people to choose related careers.
To date, museum visitors? experiences with microbiology primarily consist of observing live (or fixed) microorganisms through a microscope or using models and simulations of microbial structure and behavior. ?Interactivity? tends to be limited to controlling microscopes or using models and simulations of microscopic objects ? a more direct interaction and interrogation with the living matter, i.e., ?touching a cell,? is not possible. This stands in stark contrast to exhibits in the physical sciences, where hands-on play and manipulation of the phenomenon itself are de rigueur.
We formed an interdisciplinary team that combines cutting-edge biotechnology (Prof. Riedel-Kruse, Stanford University ? now University of Arizona) with long-standing museum exhibit-development experience and visitor research (Drs. Ma and Yu, The Exploratorium, SF, CA).
We invented a new interactive platform, ?Visitor Interactions in Microbiology (VIM),? that enables visitors to influence the swimming behavior of live cells in unprecedented ways: Visitors generate microscopic light images (by drawing on a screen or via a kinect motion sensor), and then single celled micro-organisms (called Euglena) respond to these images in real-time (?HMI Dance? see Fig.1). We user tested this exhibit at the Exploratorium. We also evaluated ?HMI Dance? against two other interactive exhibits (?HMI Paint? and ?HHI Drive?; Figs.2), where users either used a touch screen to draw images with light that would interact with these cells, or a motorized version where users moved a motorized microscope stage with a joystick to put different filters in front of these cells. HHI Drive represents the predominant mode of interaction at most microbiology museum exhibits.
Our user studies found that this new paradigm of direct interaction with microbial specimen (rather than just interacting with a microscope) has many new affordances. This type of exhibit can foster the feeling of immersion into the microbial world and can successfully draw attention to the bridging of size scales between human and microbes?in particular as both ?meet? in each other?s worlds, on the wall and inside the microscope. Our findings also highlight the significant promise of this new genre of informal STEM learning to support inquiry, prolonged engagements, connection to live micro-organisms, and interest in biology and technology.
Intellectual merit: Informal microbiology activities are currently rather limited regarding opportunities for direct experimentation with microscopic specimen. Self-guided interactivity can tremendously support informal learning. Our work introduces a paradigm shift by transforming traditional life-science microscopy into an interactive experience. Our project identified affordances and design guidelines for effective VIM museum exhibits. The collaborative project team combines unique and relevant expertise.
Broader impact. We believe that people from all strata of society (children, adults, families, students) are enticed by this new exhibitry genre, leading to deeper inquiry and excitement about microbiology, biotechnology, and science in general. Our deliverables address the needs of a wide variety of stakeholders, including museum professionals, bioengineers, microbiologists, interaction designers, artists, and the informal learning communities, with the potential for a wide distribution of VIM activities. This new technologies for interactive museum exhibits (and other interactive installations in public spaces) were developed with a particular focus on the life-sciences and modern biotechnology, and we expect an impact on STEM learning technologies in general. With additional funding from the Moore Foundation, a long-term exhibit based on the HMI Paint prototype was developed and installed as part of the Exploratorium Life Sciences gallery. We now expect that similarly interactive exhibits for other biotechnology and life-science contexts will be established.
Our results were published in Nature Biotechnology, a high-ranking peer reviewed journal: "First-hand, immersive full-body experiences with living cells through interactive museum exhibits" Lam AT, Ma J, Barr C, Lee SA, White A, Yu K, Riedel-Kruse IH*; Nature Biotechnology (2019) 37, 1238.
Last Modified: 02/25/2020
Modified by: Hans I Riedel-Kruse
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