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NISE Net Research on How Visitors Find and Discuss Relevance in the Nano Exhibition (2015)

Publication focused on a study conducted on the Nano exhibition in order to answer the research question: "How do visitors use, interact with, and talk about the exhibit components within the Nano exhibition to learn about the relevance of nano to their lives?"

DESCRIPTION

Over the final five years of the Nanoscale Informal Science Education Network (NISE Net), the "Research on Public Learning and Decision-Making" (PLDM) team studied how visitors make decisions and learn about nanotechnologies through a variety of NISE Network educational products. The focus of this report is an exploratory study conducted on the Nano exhibition in order to answer the research question: "How do visitors use, interact with, and talk about the exhibit components within the Nano exhibition to learn about the relevance of nano to their lives?" To answer this question, PLDM team members video- and audio-recorded 33 groups of visitors that used and had conversations in the Nano exhibition. They then conducted a reflective interview with these groups to further understand what visitors were doing and thinking as they used the exhibition.

Authors:

  • ​Elizabeth Kunz Kollmann, Museum of Science
  • Gina Svarovsky, University of Notre Dame
  • Stephanie Iacovelli, Museum of Science
  • Maggie Sandford, Science Museum of Minnesota

Timeline: 2011-2015

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  • research reports icon with a blue background and a buckyball illustration
  • research reports icon with a blue background and a buckyball illustration

DESCRIPTION

Over the final five years of the Nanoscale Informal Science Education Network (NISE Net), the "Research on Public Learning and Decision-Making" (PLDM) team studied how visitors make decisions and learn about nanotechnologies through a variety of NISE Network educational products. The focus of this report is an exploratory study conducted on the Nano exhibition in order to answer the research question: "How do visitors use, interact with, and talk about the exhibit components within the Nano exhibition to learn about the relevance of nano to their lives?" To answer this question, PLDM team members video- and audio-recorded 33 groups of visitors that used and had conversations in the Nano exhibition. They then conducted a reflective interview with these groups to further understand what visitors were doing and thinking as they used the exhibition.

Authors:

  • ​Elizabeth Kunz Kollmann, Museum of Science
  • Gina Svarovsky, University of Notre Dame
  • Stephanie Iacovelli, Museum of Science
  • Maggie Sandford, Science Museum of Minnesota

Timeline: 2011-2015

JUMP TO BROWSE RELATED RESOURCES

Credits

YEAR CREATED
2015
OWNING INSTITUTION

Museum of Science

FUNDING

Developed for the NISE Network with funding from the National Science Foundation under Award Numbers 0532536 and 0940143. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this product are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Foundation.

PERMISSIONS

Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial Share Alike 3.0 United States (CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 US).
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DEVELOPMENT PROCESS

NISE Network products are developed through an iterative collaborative process that includes scientific review, peer review, and visitor evaluation in accordance with an inclusive audiences approach. Products are designed to be easily edited and adapted for different audiences under a Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial Share Alike license. To learn more, visit our Development Process page.