Literature Connections for BI Projects with Life Long Learners

References for rationale or as background to prepare to work with these audiences.

  1. National Research Council (2014). Enhancing the Value and Sustainability of Field Stations and Marine Laboratories in the 21st Century. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. https://doi.org/10.17226/18806

    For over a century, field stations have been important entryways for scientists to study and make important discoveries about the natural world. They are centers of research, conservation, education, and public outreach, often embedded in natural environments that range from remote to densely populated urban locations. Because they lack traditional university departmental boundaries, researchers at field stations have the opportunity to converge their science disciplines in ways that can change careers and entire fields of inquiry. Field stations provide physical space for immersive research, hands-on learning, and new collaborations that are otherwise hard to achieve in the everyday bustle of research and teaching lives on campus. But the separation from university campuses that allows creativity to flourish also creates challenges. Sometimes, field stations are viewed as remote outposts and are overlooked because they tend to be away from population centers and their home institutions. This view is exacerbated by the lack of empirical evidence that can be used to demonstrate their value to science and society.

  2. National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (2018). Learning Through Citizen Science: Enhancing Opportunities by Design. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. https://doi.org/10.17226/25183

    In the last twenty years, citizen science has blossomed as a way to engage a broad range of individuals in doing science. Citizen science projects focus on, but are not limited to, nonscientists participating in the processes of scientific research, with the intended goal of advancing and using scientific knowledge. A rich range of projects extend this focus in myriad directions, and the boundaries of citizen science as a field are not clearly delineated. Citizen science involves a growing community of professional practitioners, participants, and stakeholders, and a thriving collection of projects. While citizen science is often recognized for its potential to engage the public in science, it is also uniquely positioned to support and extend participants' learning in science.

  3. National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (2015). Trust and Confidence at the Interfaces of the Life Sciences and Society: Does the Public Trust Science? A Workshop Summary. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. https://doi.org/10.17226/21798

    Does the public trust science? Scientists? Scientific organizations? What roles do trust and the lack of trust play in public debates about how science can be used to address such societal concerns as childhood vaccination, cancer screening, and a warming planet? What could happen if social trust in science or scientists faded?

  4. National Research Council (2009). Learning Science in Informal Environments: People, Places, and Pursuits. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. https://doi.org/10.17226/12190

    Learning Science in Informal Environments: People, Places, and Pursuits synthesizes the learning science literature on learning in informal environments to demonstrate the learning does occur in non-school environments and provide a framework on how to make this learning successful.

  5. Sacco, K., Falk, J., and Bell, J. (2014). Informal Science Education: Lifelong, Life-Wide, Life-Deep. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pbio.1001986

    How can sciences engage with informal science education? CAISE is a National Science Foundation (NSF)-funded center that provides resources and facilitates connections among researchers, practitioners, and other stakeholders who are currently involved in or hope to become involved in ISE activities and projects.

  6. Weitkamp, E. (2017). Considering what works: experiments in science communication. JCOM, 16 (05), E.

    This issue of the Journal of Science Communication (JCOM) explores the question "what works in science communication?" from a variety of angles, as well as focusing on the politically sensitive topic of climate change. In addition, the issue contains a set of commentaries that explore the sometimes conflicting roles of universities in science communication.

Additional Resources

  1. The Public Face of Science https://www.amacad.org/project/public-face-science

    The American Academy of Arts and Sciences' initiative to explore and improve the connection between science and society in America.

  2. Role Models Matter Toolkit https://www.techbridgegirls.org/rolemodelsmatter/

    Created by Techbridge Girls, prepares STEM professionals to do outreach with girls and underrepresented youth. It includes hands-on STEM activities, reflection exercises, and tips for "dejargonizing" your communication for K-12 audiences.

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