Communicating Research to Public Audiences is a component of the Informal Science Education program (ISE) in the Division of Elementary, Secondary, and Informal Education.  ISE projects provide rich and stimulating contexts and experiences for individuals of all ages, interests, and backgrounds to increase their appreciation for, and understanding of, science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) in out-of-school settings.  Requests for up to $75,000 will be considered to support projects that communicate to public audiences the process and results of current research that is being supported by any NSF directorate through informal science education activities, such as media presentations, exhibits, or youth-based activities. The purpose of these efforts is to disseminate research results, research in progress, or research methods. 

Communicating Research to Public Audiences grants are a special category of projects supported under the Informal Science Education (ISE) program.  The National Science Foundation's ISE program supports projects designed to increase public interest in, understanding of, and engagement with science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM).  The outcome of all ISE projects is an informed citizenry that has access to ideas and tools of science and engineering to enhance their quality of life and the health, prosperity, welfare, and security of the nation.

Informal education is the lifelong learning process in which every person acquires knowledge, skills, attitudes, and values from daily experiences and resources in his or her environment.  Informal learning is self-directed, voluntary, and motivated mainly by intrinsic interests, curiosity, exploration, and social interaction.  

All ISE projects have as their primary audience the informal learner -- from young child to senior citizen. Informal learning, in contrast with formal learning, refers to activities that are not primarily for school use or part of an ongoing school curriculum.

The purpose of Communicating Research to Public Audiences grants is to promote the discovery, integration, dissemination, and employment of new knowledge in service to society and to achieve excellence in U.S. science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education at all levels.  These grants will provide an opportunity for Principal Investigators (PIs) to explain in non-technical terms the methods and/or results of their research to a broad and diverse audience.  Communicating Research to Public Audiences (NSF 03-xx) replaces Supplements to Active Research Awards (NSF 97-70).

Projects with funding levels up to $75,000 will be supported to communicate the processes and results of current research awards from any NSF directorate or the Office of Polar Programs to public audiences in order to assist in the broader dissemination of research results and to promote science and technological literacy for the general public in an out-of-school setting. The grant can be used for any activity that falls within the definition of an informal science education activity such as media presentations, exhibits, or youth-based activities, in order to disseminate research results, research in progress, or research methods.

Examples of funded projects include the following:

NSF Award Numbers: 9531565 and 9940909 (ISE)
Institution:  University of Wyoming; University of Colorado
PIs:  Neil F. Humphrey; W. Tad Pfeffer; B. Amadei
Title:  Direct Measure of the In Situ Stress Tensor at Depth in Glacier Ice:  A Collaborative Study Glaciological Interpretation at Worthington Glacier State Park

The informal science education project developed interpretive materials highlighting the results of several NSF-funded glaciological research projects at Worthington Glacier and targeting visitors to Worthington Glacier State Park.  Thirteen permanent interpretive display panels were designed, produced, and erected at a glacier overlook area in Worthington Glacier State Park.  In conjunction with the panels, a free take home brochure was also developed for the visitors.  The materials were produced as a collaborative effort, with researchers providing consultation on presentation and visual display. 

The NSF-funded research, originally supported by the Office of Polar Programs, developed a technique for direct in situ measurement of the stress tensor in deep glacier ice by adapting methods presently used in rock mechanics for measurements of in situ stress of viso-elastic/plastic materials.  This allowed independent observations of full stress tensor and full strain rate tensor in glacier ice.  The determination of the spatial and temporal character of coupling between glacier ice and the glacier bed led to an understanding of the behavior of ice sheets, patterns of coupling at the bed, and velocity fields that arise in the ice.  

NSF Award Numbers: 9709522 and 0109329
Institution: Gallaudet University
PI:  Ceil Lucas
Title:  The Socio-linguistic Variation in American Sign Language, Phase II

The informal science education project developed a videotape and workbook to educate the general public -- both hearing and deaf -- about the nature of socio-linguistic variation in American Sign Language (ASL).  The project is based on two NSF-funded research projects on the same topic, which point to grammatical function as a major factor in phonological, syntactic, and lexical variation in ASL.  This project includes workshops for public audiences in Maryland, Virginia, Massachusetts, Missouri, Louisiana, California, and Washington, providing an introduction to basic concepts related to language structure and socio-linguistics.

The NSF-funded research, originally supported by the Division of Behavioral and Cognitive Sciences in the Directorate for Social, Behavioral, and Economic Sciences, developed socio-linguistic variations in American Sign Language, with a focus on phonological, lexical, and syntactic variation.  Phase I of this project (93-10116) collected videotaped data from 207 American Sign Language Users from seven sites throughout the United States.  In Phase II, graduate research assistants got hands-on experiences in data reduction, analysis, and the dissemination of the findings of the project.  

NSF Award Numbers: 9405024 and 9940896 
Institution: University of California San Diego
PI:  Veerabhadran Ramanathan 
Title:  Catch A Cloud

Catch A Cloud is an integrated public education package on the importance of clouds to scientific models of global climate change. Ongoing research at Scripps Institute of Oceanography and its Center for Clouds, Chemistry, and Climate (C-4) are fine-tuning models of global systems, improving scientists' ability to project future climate change patterns. To explain scientific modeling and the role of clouds in atmospheric studies to the public, a seven-minute video feature, entitled Clouds and Climate Change, was proposed, documenting scientists gathering cloud data in the Indian Ocean off the coast of Maldives. As another component of the project, an interactive aquarium exhibit was developed to illustrate how clouds either increase or decrease warming of water and air by solar and indirect (or re-radiated) heat sources. A Meet-the-Scientist presentation at the aquarium offered visitors the opportunity to ask questions about researchers' work, while companion activities were made available to visitors and families through the aquarium's Web site and a handout of activities to do at home.

The NSF-funded research, originally supported by the Division of Atmospheric Sciences in the Directorate for Geosciences, developed theoretical, observational, and modeling bases required to understand and predict Earth's changing climate as affected by clouds, radiation, and atmospheric chemistry and their interactions, be these a result of natural causes and/or human activities.