About the Center for Advancement of
Informal Science Education (CAISE)
Design Squad - Natasha drilling
The Center for Advancement of Informal Science Education (CAISE) works to strengthen and connect the informal science education community by catalyzing conversation and collaboration across the entire field—including film and broadcast media, science centers and museums, zoos and aquariums, botanical gardens and nature centers, digital media and gaming, science journalism, and youth, community, and after-school programs. CAISE focuses its work on improving informal science education practice, documenting evidence of impact, and communicating the contributions of informal science education.
Our vision is of a field recognized for its fundamental contributions to the nation’s science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education infrastructure, a field that contributes significantly to broadening participation in science among citizens of all ages and walks of life—and of a diverse and cohesive informal science education community that is strengthened by rigorous intellectual leadership and active knowledge-building.
IMAX Filmmaker Stephen Low, Volcanoes of the Deep Sea
Founded in 2007 with support from the National Science Foundation (NSF), CAISE is a partnership among the Association of Science-Technology Centers (ASTC), Oregon State University (OSU), the University of Pittsburgh Center for Learning in Out-of-School Environments (UPCLOSE), and the Visitor Studies Association (VSA).
CAISE is one of several centers funded by NSF's Division of Research on Learning in Formal and Informal Environments (DRL): the Center for Advancing Research and Communication in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (ARC, supporting NSF's Research and Evaluation on Education in Science and Engineering program); Community for Advancing Discovery Research in Education (CADRE, serving Discovery Research K-12); ITEST Learning Resource Center (ITEST LRC, serving Innovative Technology Experiences for Students and Teachers), and Learning and Youth Research and Evaluation Center (LYREC, serving NSF Academies for Young Scientists).