Informal Science Education

Supplements to Active Research Awards

Division of Elementary, Secondary, and Informal Science
Directorate for Education and Human Resources

NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION

Informal Science Education Supplements
to Active Research Awards
Division of Elementary, Secondary, and Informal Science
Directorate for Education and Human Resources

Purpose of Supplement:

The informal Science Education Program (ISE) funds projects that provide rich and stimulating contexts and experiences for individuals of all ages, interests, and backgrounds to increase their appreciation for and understanding of science.  The Informal Science Education Program of NSF will consider requests for up to $50,000 to supplement current research awards from any NSF directorate to assist in the broader dissemination of research results and to promote science literacy for the general public in an out-of-school setting.  The supplement can be used for any activity that falls within the definition of an informal science education activity such as media presentations, exhibits, or youth-based activities.  (For further information see the description of the Informal Science Education Program in the Elementary, Secondary, and Informal Education Program Announcement and Guidelines, NSF99-92.)  For projects that exceed this budget limit, applicants are encouraged to submit full proposals to the ISE program.  The supplement can be used to disseminate research results, research in progress, or research methods.  We expect to make approximately thirty supplementary awards annually.

Rationale:

The purpose of this ISE supplement is to implement NSF goals as presented in NSF in a Changing World: The National Science Foundation's Strategic Plan.  Two of the goals are particularly relevant: (a) to "Promote the discovery, integration, dissemination, and employment of new knowledge in service to society" and (b) to "Achieve excellence in U.S. science, mathematics, engineering, and technology education at all levels".  As further stated in the report, "Effective integration of research and education means that both the findings and methods of research can be quickly and effectively communicated in a broader context and to an expanded audience ... NSF aims to engage researchers and educators in a joint effort to infuse education with the joy of discovery and to bring an awareness of the needs of the learning process to research, creating a rich environment for both".  Science literacy for all citizens is given a high priority in this report.  "Enhancing the scientific and technological literacy of the American people" the report continues, "is seen as one of the keys to global competitiveness and to personal enrichment and quality of life, as well.  Citizens who are scientifically and technically literate will be better able to participate in the democratic society by making informed decisions on matters involving science and technology".  These supplements will provide an opportunity for principal investigators to explain in non-technical terms the methods and/or results of their research to a broad and diverse audience.

Informal Education:

In the NSF-Informal Science Education program, informal education consists of learning activities that are voluntary and self-directed, life-long, and motivated mainly by intrinsic interests, curiosity, exploration, manipulation, fantasy, task completion, and social interaction.  Informal learning occurs in an out-of-school setting and can be linear or non-linear and often is self-paced and visual- or object-oriented.  It provides an experiential base and motivation for further activity and learning.  The outcomes of informal learning experiences in science, mathematics, and technology include a sense of fun and wonder in addition to a better understanding of concepts, topics, processes of thinking in scientific and technical disciplines, and an increased knowledge about career opportunities in these fields.

Procedures:

Before a supplement is submitted, an interested Principal Investigator (PI) first will need to contact his/her Program Director who in turn will direct the PI to the appropriate program director in the ISE program.  (Recipients of Small Grants for Exploratory Research; Conference, Symposia, and Workshops, Dissertation Improvement Awards; and Postdoc Fellowships are not eligible for these supplements.)  The formal request for the supplement is to be sent to the researcher's Program Director.  It can be submitted at any time but at least four months prior to the anticipated starting date.   The request should be no longer than eight (8) single-spaced pages.  These 8 pages are to include Items 1-9 listed here and all figures and diagrams.  Supporting letters may be attached and are not included in the eight-page limit.  it is expected that partnerships will be formed between the PI and appropriate others.

The following information should be included in the request:
1.  Concise Summary of the Planned Activity (200 words).
2.  Education Goals: State what aspect of the research is being addressed in the informal learning activity.  What are the three to five basic "take-home" messages?
3.  Audience: Who is the target audience?  What does the PI know about their learning levels and styles?  What does the target audience know about the subject?   Estimate the size of the target audience.  Describe how the audience will be made aware of the activity.
4.  Activity: What is the informal education activity?  Describe it from the point of view of the audience.  Why was this type of activity selected?  What thought has gone into matching the methods with the interests/needs of the audience?
5.  Production: Identify who will produce, develop, or build the activity.   Where will it be produced?
6.  Dissemination or Distribution: Describe plans for the project's or activity's distribution.  Provide evidence of interest on the part of the appropriate partners who may be hosts to the exhibit or activity and others involved in the dissemination.   (Letters of support or collaboration may be added after the budget justification.)
7.  Evaluation (Assessment): How will it be determined that the educational goals have been achieved?  Describe the means by which the impact of the project on the target audience will be examined.  Who will do the evaluation and what procedures or methodology will be used?
8.  Life-span of the activity: How long will the project, exhibit, program, etc. exist after the completion of the development period?
9.  Time Line: Provide a month-by-month schedule that indicates the development steps for the project.
10.  Budget and Budget Justification: Use NSF budget pages (NSF Form 1030) in the Grant Proposal Guide, NSF 00-2.   Cost sharing is required and will be considered during review.  Consistent with the Grant Policy Manual Section 634.4, allowable indirect cost rate is up to the indirect cost rate used in the original award.
11.  Current and Pending Support (NSF Form 1239).

Review Process:

Request for an ISE Supplement will be reviewed by at least two of the three program directors in the Informal Science Education program in consultation with the primary program director of the research project.  The request will be reviewed by at least three external (to NSF) reviewers when the request is for more than 20% of the original grant.  In addition to the standard NSF criteria (see Grant Proposal Guide), the following will also be considered:

• the clarity with which the PI has articulated the general science literacy goals as related to research,
• the quality of the informal learning activity,
• the relationship between the science literacy goals and the choice of the target audience,
• extent of the impact, and
• the evaluation strategies.

Administrative Aspects:

A.  $50,000 maximum (including indirect costs)

B.  Maximum supplemental award period is 24 months.  It is understood that the product (e.g. exhibit, film, program) will have a life beyond the expiration of the award.

C.  The NSF Final Report Form 98A is to be submitted as directed in the Grant Proposal Guide following the expiration of the research award.  In addition to the final report about the research, a final report of the supplemental activities is required.  This should be about 200 words and should include examples of any materials produced, the results of the evaluation, and photographs as appropriate.   Send two copies of the 98A research and supplemental activities report to the cognizant Program Director, and one copy will be forwarded to the appropriate ISE Program Director.  Please label the duplicate copy "To Be Forwarded to the ISE Program Director".

D.  In the supplement request, please provide the following information about the current research award:
        NSF Program
        Award Number
        Expiration Date
        Title
        PI
        Institution
        NSF Program Director
        Amount of Original Award
        Title of ISE Project
        Proposed Duration of ISE Project

Include an abstract of the current NSF-funded research in lay language (maximum of 200 words).

Examples of Awards:

Research Award - MCB90-00556
Margaret Werner-Washburne
University of New Mexico
Characterizations of a Novel, Stationary-Phase Gene in the Yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae
$355, 515

ISE Supplement
Understanding the Silence: Cells in Stasis
Start Date: September, 1996
24 Months
$50,000

Understanding the Silence: Cells in Stasis will be a half-hour television program which will document the efforts of Dr. Werner-Washburne as she tries to unravel the mysteries of the stationary/quiescent phase of cells.  The plot will be structured as a detective story and the viewer will see how the research team works to solve how SNooZe (SNZ) genes function and their role in regulating the stationary phase.   regulation of this stationary phase can have dramatic and direct impact on the daily lives of the public in ecology, medicine, and manufacturing processes.  This program is designed for an adult audience and will expand the public's understanding of contemporary biological research.  The program will be produced in cooperation with KNME-TV, Albuquerque's PBS affiliate.  The program will be distributed nationally and regionally by KNME-TV and the Pacific Mountain network (PMN).

Research Award - IBN95-12053
Stanley Hillyard
University of Nevada, Las Vegas
Chemosensory Function of Ion Channels in Amphibian Skin
$219,492

ISE Supplement
Tales of Toads and Taste
Start Date: October, 1996
24 Months
$43,000

Tales of Toads and Taste will be an interactive traveling exhibit that will highlight similarities between taste mechanisms in humans and toads in the context of the southwest desert environment.  Visitors will learn that amphibians absorb water across their skin, that salts are transported across the skin through specialized ion channels, salt taste information is transmitted to the brain from the skin as electrical signals through a system of nerves, that the process of science is both logical and creative and there are a lot of resources available to follow-up on once interest is stimulated by this exhibit.  The development of the exhibit will involve a collaboration of the Las Vegas College of Science and Mathematics, the Lied Discovery Museum and the School-Community Partnerships Office of the Clark County School District.   It will travel throughout Southern Nevada during its first year and then will be distributed statewide after that.  The UNLV College of Science and Mathematics will be responsible for coordinating the use of the exhibit.

Research Award - IBN94-96093
Jonathan Comstock
Boyce Thompson Institute
Climate and Plant Water-Use Characteristics
$431,478

ISE Supplement
Computer-based Activities based on NSF-Research Project "Climate and Plant Water-Use Characteristics"
Start Date: October, 1996
12 Months
$49,846

Comstock and his team will develop an interactive, computer-based activity that will provide users an opportunity to increase their understanding about plant physiology, specifically the responses of plants from different climates to different growth conditions and their understanding of the process of scientific inquiry.  The project is a collaboration between scientists, educators, Sciencenter personnel, and computer programmers.  Using a combination of animation and simulation, this software will allow users to carry out a series of controlled experiments, observe plant responses, and investigate the physiological mechanisms that drive the responses.  The target audience includes teens and above.  The activity will be incorporated in a Sciencenter (Ithaca, NY) exhibit about ecology as well as being accessible via the WWW.

Categories of Activities that Fall Outside the Guidelines

1.  Web pages or electronic databases without a substantial educational interface

2.  Capital equipment

3.  Materials to be used primarily in classrooms