A.Broader Impacts section must open with our broad vision:
- Global competitiveness requires a scientifically literate general public
with well established pipelines into STEM careers
- academic careers alone, but careers requiring STEM training:
engineers, scientists, technicians, teachers, regulators, contractors
- The BIG QUESTIONS
Summarizing the questions posed in the individual science sections
(perhaps recast in plain English translations) to identify
WHAT MAKES DUSEL SCIENCE INTERESTING
- LOCATION – the unique draw of the area making it possible to reach large audiences
- Need some demographics of Denver/ front range area
A “cradle-to-grave” approach
- targeting, assessing, and tracking
- build interest in science (at an early age and with the general public)
- increase involvement from grade middlehigh school
- students participating as scientists in authentic research experiences (online, in the visitor center classrooms, labs, underground facility, high school projects, summer internships, and ultimately REUs).
- Targeting teachers (RET, summer intern programs, pre-service and in-service, and
classroom resources)for greatest IMPACT.
- Teachers need research experience 1st, not just instructional material
B. Target audience
- Teachers, visiting K-12 students, undergraduates, graduates,
community colleges (which train so many engineers, technicians)
- the general public – to appreciate why they should support the DUSEL efforts
- the needs of STEM demand that no segment of society be overlooked.
- students in financial need, small rural schools, and minorities (the SUNY summer school).
- BIC will contact HBCUs, tribal colleges.
- Stress results of Fall 05 workshops: teachers have directly advised us of their needs.
- VisitorCenter that includes an underground experience
- Instructional material tied to National Standards
- New takes on the canonical material
- Classroom/lab activities for visiting classes
- Things they cannot do in their own class
- Professional development to include Continuing Ed and Grad hour credits
- Need to become highly qualified in teaching areas
C. Teacher workshops will be better detailed.
- involve teachers in a continuing series of NSTA conference workshop sessions
- national and regional, with new and returning groups of participants over several years
- through beta-testing and distribution of instructional materials
As an example, will expand descriptions of the workshops run last fall.
Propose a 3 sequential graduate credit courses for teachers:
- Distance-based introduction to DUSEL and research opportunities
- Weeklong hands-on research experience (recruit nationally)
- Distance ed follow-up support to implement
Describe a program that emphasizes flexibility: start locally, survey best practices, develop them in consultation with scientists into specific applications, assessing them along the way, and building upon what works.
D. Promotion/advertising
- Arapaho, as an independent entity, will help with advertisement/promotion.
- Promotional material (posters, like the 3-d map, bookmarks, CDs) will be distributed through schools and local and national NSTA/AAPT/etc meetings.
- Expand plans for geological nature walks, with the Colorado State Geological Survey (and its Roadside Geology program) into aGeopark area.
Video production
- consulting Nebraska Educational Television, NOVA producers,
- As PBS stations go digital, many are considering additional channels, some dedicated to science content
- the documentary we’ve discussed on the construction/planning of DUSEL.
- generating footage for VisitorCenter introductory film, and web-streamed clips, but any of the following as well:
- programming targeted for NOVA (or similar educational/science program):
- episode on “Xtreme Science” (deep underground engineering, biology in extreme environments, etc) could generalize to other science: high energy, etc.
- Science of DUSEL
- spin-offs from any of the above of short “minute” segments for cable educationchannels, web-streamed info
- 3-D visualization theater (digital planetarium) shows
- consulting also with Fulldome digital producers, planetarium directors
- a 360-degree view, sound-surround underground experience
- 3-D digital imaging from within an UNO-like detector. This could also be
- the basis for a planetarium show on neutrinos
- Distribution to planetariums (museums, science centers, schools) could promote their use in special programs, providing spectacular advertisement for the lab.
E. Expanding to national/international audiences
- Expand the description of web use, including (see below) links with other national and
international underground labs.
- International users (and families) could help technicians translate instructional
materials and web pages.
- plan for a video conferencing facility in the Visitor’s center (a common use area).
- See above for production of the planetarium show and other video projects.
- Investigate pushing DUSEL science through radio spots like “Stardate”, “Earth & Sky”
- As public stations go digital affiliates are adding channels (possible dedicated science-
content channels). Any programs produced could be broadcast over these new channels.
E. Additional Partnerships
- Marge Bardeen (Fermilab’s Education Office/Lederman Science Center) has joined the
Broader Impacts Committee.
- We will explore additional partnership with Oakridge
- would like to investigate networking with E&O initiatives at other international
underground labs (Gran Sasso, SuperK?)
F. Data sharing
- Scheme for sharing data from UNO R&D proposal as an example of a plan that may be implemented by experiments (but each decided independently). This “plan” not complete in the submitted proposal, so needs work.
E. Hosting foreign guests
- We already address the needs of visiting students and teachers, and will expand modeling something after Fermilab’s Users’ Office and the services they provide.
F. Other issues:
- Some statement is needed CSM department endorses/embraces the proposed Academy.
Appeared there was some concern it would compete with CSM’s existing student mine.
- Low Background Counting Facility involvement in Home Security studies?
- a large surface comics ray array was suggested to be of interest to underground
experiments.
- Obvious connection to SALTA project
- already planned for a 4-detector SALTA setup at the Visitor’s Center, tied to the SALTA array. Live monitors in Center’s lobby will show cosmic ray showers recorded by the SALTA schools.
- But more than outreach project.