Engaging Visitors in Nanotechnology & Society

1. Engaging Visitors in Nanotechnology & Society www.nisenet.org

2. Day 1 Agenda (up to the break) • “Name and Gesture” improv exercise • Engaging visitors in nano and society • “You Decide” activity • Three big ideas for nano and society • Conversations with visitors • “What Are You Doing?” improv exercise • Practice “You Decide” • Break

3. Improv Exercise Name and Gesture What skills are we practicing in this activity?

4. Engaging Visitors in Nano & Society Overarching goal To empower educators and visitors to reflect on the relevance of nanotechnology to their lives.

5. Why Me? - The Museum The field is moving in this direction… “Address key issues of significance to society locally and globally for which science understanding and public engagement are essential” ASTC Strategic Plan, October 2008 “Children’s museums will be essential community resourceswhere play inspires creativity and lifelong learning” ACM Strategic Framework, 2011-2015 We’re positioned to do it… • Museums can bring together public audiences, educators, and scientists. • NISE Net is working to raise the field’s capacity to engage the public in the relevancy of emerging science and technologies to their everyday lives.

6. Why Me? - The Educator • Conversations about society are integral to learning about nano. • These skills are transferable to other topics.

7. Why Me? – The Public • This is where nano becomes relevant to visitors’ lives. • Visitors are making decisions about nano that affect their lives and communities. • These skills are transferable to other topics.

8. Why Me? – Schools • It’s aligned with national K-12 standards: • Science in personal and social perspectives • History and nature of science

9. Visitor Conversations Nano Around the World

10. Three Big Ideas

11. Three Big Ideas • 1. Values shape technologies. • 2. Technologies affect social relationships. • 3. Technologies work because they’re part of systems.

12. Values • Values shape technologies are developed and adopted.

13. Relationships • Technologies affect social relationships.

14. Systems • Technologies work because they’re part of systems.

15. Decisions • We make decisions and negotiate with technologies to promote our own values.

16. Visitor Conversations

17. Nano & Society Sprinkles Courtesy Tracey Wilhelmsen, Tracey’s Culinary Adventures

18. Baking in Nano & Society Courtesy Tracey Wilhelmsen, Tracey’s Culinary Adventures

19. Goals for Conversations Educators and visitors participate in open-ended, engaging conversations. Educators and visitors have distinct, equally important roles in the conversation. Participating in a conversation is a meaningful learning experience for visitors. Facilitating a conversation is a valuable interpretive method for facilitators.

20. How is this Different? • Demonstration • Scientist/educator has knowledge and expertise to share • Visitors discover phenomena and laws of nature • The facilitator communicates facts • Visitors ask questions and receive answers • Public understanding • Use this approach to explain the Bernoulli Principle to visitors • Conversation • Everyone has their own values and perspective to share • Visitors form opinions and explore ideas • The group considers facts and values • Facilitators and visitors ask questions and receive responses • Public engagement • Try this approach to engage visitors in nano and society

21. Improvisation • Staff training technique • Motivate staff and create buy-in • Learn key concepts • Build confidence and skills for conversations • Asking open-ended questions • Listening to visitor responses and building on them • Following visitors’ interests • Recognizing and accepting visitors’ opinions • Suggesting new ways visitors might think about technologies and society • Raise energy level • Strengthen team cohesion

22. Improv Exercise What Are You Doing? What skills are we practicing in this activity?

23. Conversations about Nano & Society Exploring Nano & Society—You Decide

24. Day 1 Agenda (after the break) • “Space Elevator” activity • Big idea 1: Values shape technologies • Practice “Space Elevator” • “Invisibility Cloak” activity • “Cell Phone Rules” conversation • Practice “Invisibility Cloak”

25. Nano & Society Big Ideas • Values shape technologies. • Technologies affect social relationships. • Technologies work because they’re part of systems.

26. Values • Values shape how technologies are developed and adopted.

27. Conversations about Values Exploring Nano & Society—Space Elevator

28. Nano & Society Big Ideas • Values shape technologies. • Technologies affect social relationships. • Technologies work because they’re part of systems.

29. Relationships • Technologies affect social relationships.

30. Conversations about Relationships Exploring Nano & Society—Invisibility Cloak

31. This presentation is based on work supported by the National Science Foundation under Award Nos. 0940143 and 0937591. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this presentation are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Foundation.