MPS Internships in Public Science Education - MPS - IPSE: Internships for bringing today's science to tomorrow's scientists

Pennsylvania State Univ University Park, University Park PA

Investigators

Abstract

This IPSE award (proposal was submitted in response to the MPS Internships in Public Science Education, MPS-IPSE, solicitation, NSF-02-064) involves a partnership between the Center for Nanoscale Science Materials Science and Engineering Center (CNS-MRSEC) and The Franklin Institute (TFI) aimed at delivering materials concepts demonstrated at museums to the home. The grant is supported by the MPS Office of Multidisciplinary Activities (OMA). Support is provided for 5 graduate students majoring in education disciplines, biology, chemistry, materials science, or physics as interns. They will join an on-going collaboration involving research scientists at CNS-MRSEC and exhibit development personnel at TFI. This collaboration has already produced the Materials Matter (MM) museum show, a 60-minute cart-based interactive exploration into the "micro" mechanisms behind the unusual and surprising "macro" behavior of materials. The interns will work within center research groups and with TFI development staff to develop Material Discovery Projects (MDP) that compliment demonstrations developed for MM and for future museum shows. A pamphlet will include selected projects that can be done at home to further explore the concepts demonstrated at the museum. In addition to instructions in how to carry out the projects, the pamphlet will contain background information as well the URL of a website which will provide further projects and information. This pamphlet will be distributed at the museum show. To gain further experience in presenting science to the public, the interns will offer workshops based on their projects to help stimulate interest in materials in the center's target demographics (females, minorities and K-12 students). Select MDPs produced by the interns will be featured on a Penn State Public Broadcasting show, "What's in the News." The show uses current events as a springboard for exploring social studies, language arts, and the sciences, which is licensed to schools that serve nearly 7 million students in the 4th to 7th grades nationwide. This IPSE project provides support for 5 graduate student interns who will work with research scientists at the Center for Nanoscale Science MRSEC and exhibit development personnel at The Franklin Institute (TFI). The interns will develop Material Discovery Projects (MDPs) that compliment demonstrations of materials properties at TFI. The MDPs will be suitable for further home exploration of the museum demonstrations. Pamphlets including several MDPs will be distributed to the museum visitors. They will also be available on the CNS-MRSEC's website. In additional, several of the projects will be featured in the Penn State Public Broadcasting show "What's in the News," a program licensed to schools serving the 4th through 7th grades nationwide. The interns will gain knowledge about the nature of science, as well as experience in presenting science to the public through inquiry based activities. The IPSE project is supported by the MPS Office of Multidisciplinary Activities (OMA).