Advancing Public Engagement with Science across the Long-Term Ecological Research Network

通过长期生态研究网络促进公众对科学的参与

• 批准号: 2215188
• 负责人: John Besley
• 金额: $ 102.98万
• 依托单位: Michigan State University
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Continuing Grant
• 财政年份: 2022
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2022-08-01 至 2025-07-31
• 项目状态: 未结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=2215188&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Advancing; Public; Engagement; Science; across

The goal of this project is to understand and support the development of evidence-based public engagement with science (PES) strategies within STEM research organizations. It specifically seeks to understand how scientists, institutional leaders, and staff within the NSF’s Long Term Ecological Research (LTER) Network make decisions about the design and implementation of PES activities. The LTER Network includes 28 varied sites across North America and provides a unique opportunity to study PES decision-making within scientific organizations. The project is especially interested in the degree to which these types of organizations consider the interests and assets of local communities, including underrepresented communities. This project will lead to increased capacity for effective, evidence-based PES in an essential sector of the nation’s STEM research infrastructure. The project is a collaboration between PES practitioners within the LTER Network and PES researchers at Michigan State University and Oregon State University.The project will address three primary research questions: (1) How do scientists, institutional leaders, and staff view and make decisions about the design and implementation of PES? (2) To what degree do PES activities and PES strategies consider the interests and assets of local communities, including those underrepresented in STEM? (3) How, and to what degree, can scientists, institutional leaders, and staff develop shared PES strategies aimed at enhancing reciprocal exchanges and ongoing relationships with communities? The project design includes: (a) surveys and interviews with LTER scientists, institutional leaders, and staff; (b) case studies coupled with strategic engagement planning to investigate the community contexts of PES; (c) a PES working group with LTER scientists and PES-related staff to integrate research and practice; (d) a PES monitoring system for tracking PES activities at LTER sites; and (e) an external advisory board of PES experts and representatives of other STEM research organizations to promote accountability of the work and broaden its impact beyond the LTER Network. The overall hypothesis is that it is possible to improve the effectiveness of PES through a focus on helping scientific organizations develop PES strategies in collaboration with relevant communities.This Research in Service to Practice Project is a three year endeavor and supported by the Advancing Informal STEM Learning (AISL) program, which seeks to advance new approaches to, and evidence-based understanding of, the design and development of STEM learning in informal environments, multiple pathways for broadening access to and engagement in STEM learning experiences, advancing innovative research on and assessment of STEM learning in informal environments, and developing understandings of deeper learning by participants.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.

该项目的目标是了解和支持 STEM 研究组织内制定基于证据的公众参与科学 (PES) 战略，它特别旨在了解 NSF 长期生态研究中的科学家、机构领导者和工作人员如何（ LTER）网络对 PES 活动的设计和实施做出决策 LTER 网络包括北美的 28 个不同地点，并提供了研究科学组织内 PES 决策的独特机会。组织类型考虑当地社区（包括代表性不足的社区）的利益和资产将提高国家 STEM 研究基础设施重要部门的有效、基于证据的 PES 能力。密歇根州立大学和俄勒冈州立大学的 PES 研究人员。该项目将解决三个主要研究问题：（1）科学家、机构领导和工作人员如何看待 PES 的设计和实施并做出决策（2）到什么程度？进行 PES 活动和 PES战略考虑当地社区的利益和资产，包括那些在 STEM 中代表性不足的社区？ (3) 科学家、机构领导者和工作人员如何以及在何种程度上制定旨在加强与社区项目的互惠交流和持续关系的共同 PES 战略？设计包括：(a) 对 LTER 科学家、机构领导者和工作人员进行调查和访谈；(b) 案例研究以及调查 PES 社区背景的战略参与计划；(c) 由 LTER 科学家和 PES 组成的 PES 工作组 -相关人员整合研究和实践；(d) 一个 PES 监测系统，用于跟踪 LTER 站点的 PES 活动；以及 (e) 由 PES 专家和其他 STEM 研究组织代表组成的外部顾问委员会，以促进工作问责制并扩大其影响力LTER 网络的总体假设是，通过重点帮助科学组织与相关社区合作制定 PES 战略，可以提高 PES 的有效性。这项服务实践项目的研究是一项为期三年的工作，并得到了 LTER 网络的支持。推进非正式 STEM 学习(AISL) 计划，旨在推进非正式环境中 STEM 学习设计和开发的新方法和基于证据的理解，扩大 STEM 学习体验的获取和参与的多种途径，推进创新研究和评估该奖项反映了 NSF 的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。