By Kirk Anne Taylor
From ASTC Dimensions
May/June 2010

“I always wanted to be able to connect what I taught in class to a real-world situation. [The Calumet Environmental Education Program (CEEP)] allows students to not only learn about environmental issues, but also take action on an issue. I feel my students learned more during this year than any other year.”
—Milton Katsaros, CEEP Teacher

In 2002, the Field Museum in Chicago launched the Calumet Environmental Education Program (CEEP) as a new model of conservation education that translates science into action for students and teachers. Developed by the museum’s Division of Environment, Culture, and Conservation (ECCo), CEEP began as a pilot project for schools in the Calumet region of southeast Chicago. Since its inception, CEEP has grown to serve more than 2,700 students and 100 teachers from 23 Calumet schools annually. Students in grades 4 to 12 learn about local biodiversity through a consecutive ladder of environmental education programs that build content knowledge grade level upon grade level.
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IN THIS ISSUE
March/April 2010

According to Positive Youth Development theory, youth programs should promote positive relationships, provide safe environments, build confidence and competence through meaningful work, foster leadership opportunities, and recognize youth for their assets. Science centers incorporate all of these elements into their youth programs, while introducing youth to science careers, developing their science literacy, or giving them tools to address global issues. In this issue, we look at a variety of youth programs, aimed at young people ages 10 to 19.

Contents

• A Journey with CAUSE: Putting Positive Youth Development into Museum Youth Programs, by Angela Wenger and Susan Foutz
• Finding a Second Family, by Rariety Monford
• Creating Empowerment at Thinktank, by Nick Winterbotham
• The Science Career Ladder Dissemination Project, by Preeti Gupta
• Think Globally, Play Locally: Bringing Social and Global Issues to Teens, by Karen Hager
• School Science Society: Making Science Relevant to Youth, by Sara Calcagnini
• Girls’ I.D.ea of Science, by Jennifer Stancil
• Girls, Science, and Policy, by Jennifer Stancil
• Girls on the RISE
• Engaging America’s Youth, by Judy Koke and Lynn D. Dierking
• ASTC’s Handbook for Youth Programs
• Building Bridges to Technology: SAASTA’s Techno Youth Program, by Bafedile Kgwadi

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By Angela Wenger and Susan Foutz
From ASTC Dimensions
March/April 2010

The New Jersey Academy for Aquatic Sciences (the Academy) in Camden is now in the 17th year of its Community and Urban Science Enrichment Program (CAUSE). The program was created to address one of the Academy’s key mission elements: to provide educational and economic opportunity to Camden City residents.

Through the CAUSE program, local high school students receive training in marine science and biology, and work as mentors for younger students and as educators. To date, 150 students have participated in the program. The current demographics of the CAUSE teens are 41 percent African American, 54 percent Hispanic, and 5 percent of mixed backgrounds. By gender, 56 percent are female, and 44 percent are male. The overwhelming majority of participants are from low-income households.
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IN THIS ISSUE
January/February 2010

Those of us working in the field believe that science centers make important contributions to individuals, communities, and nations. But how can we document and demonstrate that science centers are making a difference? This issue presents a “public value” framework and describes evidence to help centers make the case for their essential contributions. Whether they’re helping people develop positive attitudes toward science, recruiting science teachers, or increasing access to science and technology, science centers have tangible, positive impacts on society.

Contents

• Evidence for Learning in Science Centers and Museums, by Kirsten M. Ellenbogen
• Youth Exploring Science: Benefits for Teens and the Community, by Cynthia Graville-Smith
• Science Explainers: A Ladder to STEM Careers
• Being Purposeful: Planning for, Initiating, and Documenting Public Value, by Lynn D. Dierking
• Putting Public Value to the Test, by David E. Chesebrough
• The Value of a Visit: Does Visiting a Science Center Motivate Students to Study More Science?, by Sue Cavell and Harry White
• Who Wants to Be a Science Teacher? A Science Center’s Role in Resolving a Teacher Shortage, by Judith Lombana and Angela Walters
• Maloka: Reaching People Where They Live, by Nohora Elizabeth Hoyos and Sigrid Falla
• By the Numbers: Highlights from the ASTC Statistics Survey Data, by Christine Ruffo
• Surrounded by Science: ISE Summit 2010, by Wendy Pollock

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By Nohora Elizabeth Hoyos and Sigrid Falla
From ASTC Dimensions
January/February 2010

The public value of science centers is connected to the manner in which they relate to their audiences. Maloka in Bogotá, Colombia, has developed outreach programs for ethnically and socioeconomically diverse audiences nationwide. Our programs aim to reach people where they live, by taking resources directly into their communities and responding to the realities of each region. In particular, our programs are designed to reach vulnerable populations who may never visit our science center, including those who live in remote communities, and others who live in Bogotá but feel a disconnect from science and technology. We aim to start a dialogue and promote lifelong learning by making visible the connections between people’s daily lives and science and technology.
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