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The 2012 NSF ISE PI Meeting

View images from the 2012 ISE PI Meeting

From Wednesday, March 14-Friday, March 16, the Center for Advancement of Informal Science Education (CAISE) and the National Science Foundation (NSF) Informal Science Education (ISE) Program convened its third biennial Principal Investigator (PI) meeting in Washington, D.C. Nearly 250 PIs, project staff, evaluators, researchers, NSF program officers, officers from other federal agencies, and other ISE stakeholders gathered to share work and resources, and engage with colleagues and program officers on current topics of interest and import in the informal science education field. The CAISE Co-PIs, advisors, and staff extend our heartfelt thanks to those who planned, attended, and so enthusiastically participated to make this a successful gathering. Read more...

News and Updates

ISE Evidence Wiki: The wiki is designed to support a public discussion of the case for informal science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) education. The goal is to provide easy to read summaries of evidence that characterize the benefits and outcomes of ISE experiences. The most recent articles added to the wiki address topics of public engagement and cyberlearning. Visit the ISE Evidence Wiki to read and contribute to these articles and many more.

Conference on Public Participation in Scientific Research: August, 4-5, 2012, Portland, Oregon. With the rapid growth and innovation of public participation in scientific research (PPSR), practitioners are in need of a venue for sharing insights across projects and fields of study. This landmark event will convene science researchers, project leaders, educators, technology specialists, evaluators, and others from across many disciplines (including astronomy, molecular biology, human and environmental health, and ecology) to discuss advancing the field of PPSR. The PPSR Conference is being held in conjunction with the annual meeting of the Ecological Society of America (ESA), a venue that has long been supportive of citizen science and that always welcomes practitioners from diverse fields. Those interested in the PPSR field should visit the conference website for more information.

NSF REESE Solicitation Announced: The NSF solicitation for the Research and Evaluation on Education in Science and Engineering (REESE) program has been released. It is document NSF12-552, and has a submission deadline of 17 July 2012. There are three general changes from the previous solicitation. First, the program has merged the Fostering Interdisciplinary Research in Education (FIRE) opportunity into REESE as an award type. Second, there are some changes to the invited strands within REESE. One new strand is on secondary data analyses; the other new strand is on Broadening Participation Research. If you have any questions regarding the program, you can send email to a group account for REESE program officers at DRLREESE@nsf.gov.

The Materials Research Society (MRS) 2012 Fall Meeting & Exhibit: In Boston, November 26-30, will include Educational Symposium ZZ: Communicating Social Relevancy in Materials Science and Engineering Education. Click here for the Call for Papers announcement as posted on the MRS website. Abstract submissions can be made between May 19 and June 19. Click here for Abstract Submission Guidelines.

About CAISE

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. 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 housed at ASTC’s Washington, D.C. offices.

• Contact CAISE at info [at] caise.insci.org