NISE Network Blog

Partner Highlight: Virtual Outreach Best Practices from the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences Virtual Astronomy Days

March 2, 2021

Kari Wouk - North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences, Raleigh NC

The North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences in Raleigh, NC held its 30th annual Astronomy Days event this January…virtually! Typically, Astronomy Days draws 14K-16K visitors over the two-day weekend event. With the pandemic, such a large event was an impossibility...

Partner Highlight: tag! Children's Museum in St. Augustine, FL engages children through online videos

March 2, 2021

Michele Wiles, tag! Children's Museum, St. Augustine FL

Talk About Genius! At Home in a Digital World of Play and Learning In March of 2020 we faced the realities and challenges of the COVID Pandemic and its impact on our programming for children and families. We took stock...

Partner Highlight: WOW! Children's Museum virtual programming and ELPASO collaboration

January 7, 2021

Gini Philipp, WOW! Children's Museum

Like so many museums and institutions around the country who have been impacted by COVID-19, WOW! Children’s Museum in Lafayette, CO had to temporarily closed our doors in Spring 2020 and make the quick pivot to providing virtual education programs for children and families. Our small (but mighty) dedicated team embraced this challenge head-on and quickly ramped up our online presence to ensure we could continue to connect with families in our community. Through our social media channels and our website, we have been able to provide a number of virtual programs and host several virtual events. We are so grateful to have received so many of the NISE Network kits over the years and we immediately utilized some of the kit activities to create new videos and virtual opportunities. Most recently, we collaborated with ELPASO (Engaged Latino Parents Advancing Student Outcomes), a local community support resource, to explore Molecules in Motion and Stomp Rockets! It was a huge, virtual, success!

NISE Network Year in Review 2020

January 6, 2021

Rae Ostman, Arizona State University

National Informal STEM Education Network Year in Review 2020

Image of laptop and phone with new website

New Improvements to the nisenet.org website

January 5, 2021

Catherine McCarthy

Have you explored the nisenet.org website lately? Just in time to kickoff 2021, the website has a fresh new look, more intuitive navigation, and many technical upgrades. We’ve been listening to partner feedback and we think you’ll like what you...

Carnegie Science Center Space Out Astronomy Weekend inflatable astronaut

Partner Highlight: Carnegie Science Center hosts Space Out Astronomy Weekend

December 16, 2020

Brad Peroney, Carnegie Science Center

Space Out Astronomy Weekend is Carnegie Science Center’s annual celebration of all things astronomy.

Facilitator and Learner arrange blocks on a Lunar crater map

Explore Science: Earth & Space 2020 physical toolkit - Part B shipping to 350 partners across the United States!

December 16, 2020

Ali Jackson, Sciencenter

Part B NISE Network’s 2020 Explore Science: Earth & Space physical toolkit, including the *new* Moon Adventure Game is in the process of shipping!

Citizen scientist taking a precipitation measurement on a CoCoRaHS rain gauge

The 2021 Citizen Science, Civics, and Resilient Communities project application is now open!

November 27, 2020

Sara Benson, Museum of Science

Citizen Science, Civics, and Resilient Communities (CSCRC) 2021 project and stipend announcement to support public forums in climate hazards and resilience planning.

Lights, Camera, Zoom! Remote production and self-filmed training videos for the Explore Science: Earth & Space 2020 Toolkit Part B

November 5, 2020

Brad Herring, Museum of Life and Science

Over the past several months we have been producing the next set of facilitation and content training videos that will accompany the hands-on activities in the new the Explore Science: Earth & Space 2020 toolkit Part B through an exhausting process of remote filming.

LCVM Learning to Launch hands-on exhibit

Partner Highlight: NISE Network Activities Add More Learning Opportunities to a Rural Central Pennsylvania Children’s Museum

November 3, 2020

Lisa Ditty, Lykens Valley Children's Museum

Lykens Valley Children’s Museum’s (LVCM) “Launch Into Learning” space inspired exhibition debuted with new exhibits, and a space shuttle, for children to explore and new STEM stations from the National Informal STEM Education Network (NISE Network) for even more hands-on learning about space.