What’s informal science education?
Informal science education supports people of all ages and walks of life in exploring science, technology, engineering, and mathematics.
The White House Open Government Initiative is seeking ideas about how to improve the National Science Foundation (NSF). This is part of an effort involving all major federal departments and agencies, which began February 6, an outcome of President Obama's January 2009 pledge to make the government more"transparent, participatory, and collaborative." The deadline for submitting comments is March 19.
One question posed by NSF that is of particular interest to those in the informal science education field: "How can our agency encourage two-way conversations with the public to share ideas and expertise to improve our work? What specific tools and strategies should we use to encourage these public conversations?"
Another question posed by the NSF Open Government site: "What information and high-value data should we provide to make our agency more accountable, improve public knowledge of our work, and create economic opportunity? How can we make information and data available in a timely and accessible manner?"
To express your views about NSF's plans, go to http://opennsf.ideascale.com/.