What’s informal science education?
Informal science education supports people of all ages and walks of life in exploring science, technology, engineering, and mathematics.
Representatives of three U.S. federal agencies that support informal science education will address the ISE Summit on Friday, March 5, in Washington, D.C.. Barbara Alving, M.D, is director of the National Center for Research Resources (NCRR) at the National Institutes of Health, which funds the development of new technologies for basic and clinical research, supports training for researchers in the biomedical sciences, develops preclinical models, and provides health and biomedical education for the public—including the Science Education Partnership Award Program (SEPA).
The SEPA program provides 5-year, $1.3M awards to develop informal science education (ISE) exhibits, film and broadcast programs, digital media, gaming and after-school activities. SEPA projects must have rigorous evaluation metrics and may target any area of basic or clinical research funded by the NIH.
SEPA ISE goals are to educate the general public on NIH-funded research and to inform them on the relationship between lifestyle and health. SEPA currently funds 27 ISE projects.