What kind of voice can young people have regarding global issues related to the sustainability of the planet? Very often, they are the ones who are the most enthusiastic about new technologies, and the most eager to use these tools to instigate actions that can make a difference. The SCEnaRioS (Science Centers Engagement and the Rio Summit) project partnership between the Miami Science Museum and Maloka Interactive Science Center in Colombia is bringing students together with these challenges in mind.
Students participating in youth programs in Miami and Bogotá contributed their thoughts and concerns about water resources in their respective locations, and created a video to be shown at the Planet Under Pressure conference in London at the end of March. Miami, with its low-lying coastlines and coral reefs, and Bogotá, with its high altitudes and alpine tundras, may seem very different. But water is universal to all of us.
Last week at the Museum, a new temporary exhibit opened that acts like a hugely powerful magnifying glass. It takes you into cells of the body, up close to the surface of the Sun, into your brain, and right next to the little suction cups on the end of an insect’s legs. Intrigued? Come see the Max Planck Images of Science Exhibition at the Museum, presented by the Max Planck Florida Foundation.
Every year, the Max Planck Society asks scientists from 80 science institutes and research facilities throughout the world to submit images of their research. After a competition to narrow down the submissions, what’s left is a collection of images that seems to be half science and half art. This collection is now presented as a visually stunning exhibition, so we can all learn more about what’s right in front of our noses. Or in our brains. Or in crystals. Or lots of other places you can only imagine.
The temporary exhibition is here at the Museum through September.
At the opening of the Max Planck Images of Science Exhibition: From left to right: Eva Alexandra Countess Kendeffy, Consul General in Miami for the Federal Republic of Germany; Joseph Falk, Vice Chair of the Museum's Board of Trustees; Dr. Claudia Hillinger, President of the Max Planck Florida Foundation
You hear it all the time. Innovations in science and technology are making the world a smaller place and making it easier for all of us to learn and communicate with each other across great distances. Recently however, six representatives from South African museums and science centers traveled to Miami to learn more about engaging audiences in science. In this case, there was no substitute for being face to face to share ideas. This visit, hosted by the Miami Science Museum and the University of Miami, was arranged by the South African Agency for Science and Technology Advancement (SAASTA) and funded by the South African Department of Science and Technology. The purpose was to provide a series of work learning experiences to help inform programming and development at the South African institutions. Making this long journey from South Africa to Miami were representatives from the Old Mutual-MTN ScienCentre (Durban), Nelson Mandela Bay Science Centre (Port Elizabeth), National Zoological Gardens of South Africa (Pretoria), SCI-ENZA Science Centre (Pretoria), the Giyani Science Centre (Limpopo), and SAASTA.
While at the Miami Science Museum, the group observed educational programs in action, attended special events, and met with key staff to learn about aspects of programming that were relevant to them and their audiences in South Africa. SAASTA visitors also spent time at the University of Miami to discuss the academic basis for science communication, and the importance of informal science education. And what trip to Miami would be complete without trips to other informal education institutions, like Biscayne Nature Center, Fairchild Tropical Gardens, Zoo Miami, Everglades National Park, and the Miami Children’s Museum. It’s difficult to sum up such an experience, as the visitor or the host, but as Candice Potgieter, General Manager of the KwaZulu Natal ScienCentre, said: “The most important lesson learned was the engagement around all partners involved.” So what’s next? SAASTA is currently considering the possibility of a second, longer trip with additional visitors. Because there is nothing like learning from each other face to face.
At the Miami Science Museum; from left to right, Elize de Jager (National Zoological Gardens of South Africa), Norman Xiholovana Mthembi (Giyani Science Centre), Frank Steslow (Miami Science Museum), Candice Potgeier (Old Mutual-MTN Science Centre), Shadrack Mkansi (SAASTA), Karlissa Callwood (Miami Science Museum), Gillian Thomas (President, Miami Science Museum), Irene Schoeman (SCI-ENZA Science Centre), Wesley Johnson (Miami Science Museum), Nomkhita Mona (Nelson Mandela Bay Science Center)
At the University of Miami; from left to right, Elize, Irene, Shadrack, Dr. Donna Shalala (President, University of Miami), Candice, Nomkhita, Mike Gaines (University of Miami), Norman
On a field trip to Anne Kolb Nature Center, Digital Wave students were real scientists. A scientist’s job is to observe the world and ask questions. They always want to know how something works or how something is affected by something else. So students went on a boat ride through the channels and open waters of West Lake with a nature guide, and visited the exhibit hall to learn more about the natural environments. Job #1: Observe and Listen. Job #2: Ask questions. Job #3: Take notes and draw sketches of what you see. And of course one of the most important jobs: enjoy the nature around you. For those readers (a.k.a. scientists) also taking notes, there are 3 types of mangrove tree: red, black, and white. As you may have guessed, you can tell them apart by their coloring, but also by the shape of their leaves and where they prefer to grow. Red mangroves grow closer to the shoreline, and white and black prefer slightly more inland. Mangroves also take advantage of living on the shore – seedlings drift in the water’s currents, and grow rapidly when they find a spot they like. Mangrove forests play an important role in the ecosystem for fish and for humans, so scientists (a.k.a. all of us) need to keep an eye on them.
A state-wide college tour. That sounds like a dream opportunity for any high school student exploring college options. Twelve students from the Museum’s Upward Bound program recently went on such a trip with Museum staff, and visited five universities all throughout Florida: University of West Florida, Florida State University, University of North Florida, University of Florida, and University of Central Florida. Did we mention this was all in less than a week? On this whirlwind tour, students toured the campus grounds, departments, and housing, and also had a few other unique experiences. At the Florida State University School of Law, they met the Dean and the admissions team, and also witnessed a simulation of closing arguments from the University’s Mock Trial Team. Another highlight of the trip was that students were able to meet up with former Upward Bound students who are now attending Florida State University, the University of Florida, and the University of Central Florida. Now all that’s left is some big decision-making.
Volunteers from the Junior League of Miami were as ‘busy as bees’ last weekend, as they completed a Done-In-A-Day project at the Miami Science Museum, helping the Museum to continue the development of its early childhood space, the Discovery Room. The volunteers helped create crafts and activity kits for the Museum’s Busy Buzzing Bees curriculum, part of a series of Early Childhood Hands-On Science (ECHOS) curriculum modules specially designed to support playful science learning among very young children. The volunteers created and painted large hexagons for a beehive model, designed large flowers to be used in helping kids learn about how bees find flowers, and constructed bee antennae headbands which the children use in dramatic play that helps them learn how bees use their antennas to recognize different smells and locate their hives. The volunteers also prepared a series of activity bins containing materials that parents can use in the Discovery Room with their children to encourage independent hands-on learning. Next on the agenda for the Discovery Room is an ‘observation bee hive’ that allows children to see the bees at work. We’ll give you a ‘buzz’ when it’s ready!
We do our best to keep in touch with all the awesome students who participate in our programs here at the Museum. Some particularly exceptional students, like Barbara Escobar, make that easy for us. Barbara, a student at North Miami Senior High School, previously participated in the Digital WAVE Summer Academy, where she studied the effects of climate change on South Florida’s coral reefs. During the program, Dr. Andrew Baker, Associate Professor of Marine Biology and Fisheries at the University of Miami, spoke to Digital WAVE participants about his research on corals and the impacts of the terrible Deepwater Horizon oil spill. After that talk, Barbara was inspired to start her own environmental science research. With help from Museum staff, Barbara got in touch with Dr. Baker and worked with graduate student mentors at the Coral Reef Conservation Research Laboratory. She concentrated on studying the use of dispersants, which are used to mitigate the effects of crude oil on corals. This past year, she entered her project in her school’s science fair and won first place. Congratulations Barbara!
Dr. Annmarie Eldering works at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California. She recently met with students in the Digital WAVE program, to tell them about her job and what inspired her to follow her career path. That career path has been pretty amazing, and students had soooo many questions. Dr. Eldering work involves extracting information about clouds, aerosols, and trace gases in the Earth’s atmosphere with satellites and remote sensing instruments. And she is the Deputy Project Scientist on the soon-to-be-launched Orbiting Carbon Observatory (OCO-2) satellite, which will map CO2 in the Earth’s atmosphere, basically “watching the Earth breathe.” And how did this awesome career path begin? It’s simple. An interest in chemistry and math, and wanting to know what stuff is made of.
The Museum’s ECHOS program has a big goal: to test the effectiveness of a museum-developed early science readiness curriculum and related teacher professional development. By expanding science units to include math, language, and literacy, the research project will demonstrate the potential of ECHOS to improve teacher practice and student achievement at the preschool level.
A big program with big goals needs lots of materials. Get ready to do some math. There are 9 ECHOS units and 45 classrooms (involving 90 teachers and teacher assistants) throughout Miami. The Museum holds monthly workshops throughout the school year (1 per unit), and each of the 45 classrooms receives 1 bin of materials per unit. When preparing for these workshops, 150 boxes at a time get delivered to the Museum on 7 pallets. That is for 3 workshops. But we still need 2 more deliveries of that size to get all the materials for all 9 units. The final answer?
450 boxes + 21 pallets + lots of storage space + lots of time and effort = effective resources for teachers + young children learning science.
In February and March, the fun and learning continued for teachers participating in the Museum’s ECHOS (Early Childhood Hands-On Science) program with two professional development workshops. Each one is for 45 classrooms (90 teachers and teacher assistants) around Miami. In the unit about measuring, teachers learn how to introduce children to the concept of one inch. So children use 1-inch blocks as tools to measure things around them. But how do you make it even more fun for young children? Put it to rhythm, and, move around! ECHOS staff and participating teachers modeled a sing-along activity designed to integrate science with language and literacy. You can sing it too (to the tune of Row, Row, Row Your Boat).
The next workshop had ECHOS teachers learning how to teach young children to investigate scientific concepts like volume, density, and water displacement. Teacher assistants pretended to be the children and practiced all the activities, including one that integrated science and math. What’s the object of the game? Run with a cup of water, dump the water in a bucket, throw the cup into a bag, and run back to the start while your teammate does the same. When the buckets are full, we can see how many cups of water filled the bucket!
