Trained to interact: echoes from the Workshop Sul-Americano de Mediação em Museus e Centros de Ciência

The initiatives focusing the professional development of explainers are multiplying around the world, building an informal network of researchers, museums managers and directors, explainers, and regional/continental networks, as THE group, the Thematic Human Interface and Explainers group of Ecsite.The Workshop Sul-Americano de Mediação em Museus e Centros de Ciência e Escola de Mediação em Museus e Centros de Ciência, which took place in Rio de Janeiro in September 2008, was a further important step along this path. We believe it is worthwhile to offer to Jcom readers some of the workshop contributions concerning the training of explainers, to which we added an overview of the general problem presented by Lynn Uyen Tran (Lawrence Hall of Science at the University of California, Berkeley).

Microscopy for Children

Precollege science education in the United States is not what it could, and should, be. Major changes are being made in the way science is taught, but delivering those changes to thousands of schools is an enormous task. Scientific societies are a major resource; they can organize and train member-volunteers to help teachers bring “real” science to the classroom. The Microscopy Society of America has become part of the effort with Project MICRO (Microscopy In Curriculum - Research Outreach). MICRO is putting MSA members, teaching materials, and microscopes in middle school classrooms nationwide. The idea began in 1993, but it has taken a lot of time and effort to implement.MSA's early decision to collaborate with experienced science educators at the Lawrence Hall of Science of the University of California at Berkeley was a wise one; their educational materials have a well-earned national reputation for excellence.

A Successful Educational Collaboration between Scientists and Educators: Microscopic Explorations

The teacher's guide, Microscopic Explorations: A GEMS Festival Guide ( Brady and Willard, 1998 ), is the result of a partnership between Great Explorations in Math and Science (GEMS), a program of the Lawrence Hall of Science (LHS), the public science and curriculum development center of the University of California, Berkeley, and the Microscopy Society of America (MSA). Microscopic Exploration supports the MSA's low-cost national outreach program and, also, reaches a very large educational community as part of the GEMS series. Some of the lessons learned through the extremely successful MSA/LHS collaboration are summarized here in hopes that they may be instructive to other scientists and educators as they launch their own partnerships and collaborations.

Project Micro on Display At Sciencefest

ScienceFest is coordinated through the International JASON Project that introduces the world of science through live satellite broadcasts. Dr. Robert Ballard, the ocean explorer who found the Titanic, started the program in 1989. Included in the ScienceFest presentations at the John Ford Bell Museum of Natural History, Project MICRO run by the Minnesota Microscopy Society (MMS) was on display to the public. As in past years [1] the Project MICRO team of the MMS set up various microscope stations and invited the participants to record the things that they saw and to note what they learnt and mention the things they would like to see. The microscope stations are quite simple, low power ‘field’ microscopes and various samples as documented by the “Microscopic Explorations” [2] handbook that has been developed by the MSA in collaboration with the Lawrence Hall of Science [3] as part of their Great Explorations in Math and Science (GEMS) series.

The Microscopy Society Of America's Project MICRO: The Vermont Experience

Project MICRO (Microscopy in Curriculum - Research Outreach) is an initiative by the Microscopy Society of America (MSA) to connect scientists with middle school teachers in an effort to introduce young students to the scientific method. Through a collaboration with the Lawrence Hall of Science (LHS) at the University of California, Berkeley, a teacher's manual was produced as part of the LHS GEMS (Great Explorations in Math and Science) series. This manual, entitled “Microscopic Explorations”, can be used by scientists and middle school teachers alike to prepare a Project MICRO “Festival” to be presented in the classroom. Detailed information concerning Project MICRO in general, and the Microscopic Explorations manual can be obtained from the Project MICRO web page from MSA (http://www.msa.microscopy.com/ProjectMicro/PMHomePage.html).

“Microscopic Explorations“: One Kit Many uses.

Since 1996 the Minnesota Microscopy Society (MMS) has had several different opportunities to use the “Microscopic Explorations” [1] handbook that has been developed by MSA in collaboration with the Lawrence Hall of Science [2] as part of their Great Explorations in Math and Science (GEMS) series. Initially we used a beta-test version of the manual and worked with several different schools in the St. Paul's school district. Since then we have broadened the range of our outreach, and have interacted with different school districts, as well as local museums and other youth and community organizations - including church youth groups, scout groups and local governments. One of the strengths of the manual is that it can be used in many ways, and is adaptable to the particular learning situation available. These opportunities can span the range from essentially uncontrolled interactibns with the general public, with its large age range and ability spectrum, to the very carefully structured setting of an ongoing, single-age class program.

What is Project Micro?

Project MICRO (Microscopy in Curriculum - Research Outreach) is the Microscopy Society of America's educational outreach program for middle schools. The idea began in 1993, but has taken a lot of time and effort to implement. MSA's early decision to collaborate with experienced science educators at the Lawrence Hall of Science (LHS) of the University of California at Berkeley was a wise one as their educational materials have a well-earned national reputation for excellence. The first phase of MICRO has just been completed, with the publication of a LHS teacher's manual that will support the MSA/MICRO effort to get microscopist-volunteers into classrooms nationwide.

Microscopic Explorations is Published

Microscopic Explorations, Microscopy Society of America's microscopy-based middle school manual, has just been published by the Lawrence Hall of Science (LHS), one of the leading institutions in U.S. precollege science education. This is an appropriate time to give some thanks and present some history. Let's begin with the description of the manual that appears in the MICRO bibliography (MSA Bulletin [Special Issue] 23:1–16 [1997], and www.MSA.microsco-py.com/Project MICRO/Books.html).

Microscopy for Middle Schools

The Microscopy Society of America (MSA) is beginning a long-term educational effort; the first goal of the program is to bring the excitement of microscopy to middle schools. We'll begin by developing a curriculum manual that integrates an understanding of how lenses magnify with observation of the microworld; examples will be from both physical and biological sciences. Funding will come from NSF and private foundations, and science education expertise will be provided by the Lawrence Hall of Science in Berkeley, a leading developer of science curriculum. As educators often use acronyms, we've named ours MICRO, for Microscopy In Curriculum - Research Outreach.Writing a manual is just the beginning. MSA is directing its first effort at middle schools, because teachers at that level who want and need to teach science often lack the background to do so as anything more than a dull textbook exercise; teacher training workshops will be offered nationally.