Education Directors Meet in Boston to Learn, Share, and Build a Community

Robert de Groot, California Institute of Technology MRSEC (DMR #0520565)
Kathryn Hollar, Harvard University MRSEC (DMR #0213805)
Susan Rosevear, Massachusetts Institute of Technology MRSEC (DMR #0213282)
Greta M. Zenner, University of Wisconsin-Madison MRSEC (DMR #0520527)

At the Fall 2007 Education Directors Meeting, held at a Materials Research Society (MRS) Meeting for the first time, attendees from several NSF-funded centers proved that they are as adept at sharing their best practices and education resources with each other as they are at sharing materials science and nanotechnology with the public and K-16 students. Approximately 50 education directors and staff from four NSF-funded programs, including Materials Research Science and Engineering Centers (MRSEC), Nanoscale Science and Engineering Centers (NSEC), Partnerships for Research and Education in Materials (PREM), and the National Nanotechnology Infrastructure Network (NNIN), attended the Education Directors Meeting. The theme of the day-long program was informal science education, and the agenda included an update from NSF, an introduction to the Nanoscale Informal Science Education (NISE) Network, a presentation from museum professionals about strategies for assessing informal science education, a break-out session for small groups to share best practices, and a group discussion about collaborating with informal science education institutions. The meeting was made possible through generous contributions of the meeting rooms, AV, and staff support from MRS; and from the Caltech, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Harvard, and MIT MRSECs, whose education directors planned the meeting. An especially exciting outcome of the Education Directors Meeting is the beginning of a materials-centric education network, led by MRSEC education directors, that will help to create a cohesive network of professionals dedicated to effective materials science education and outreach.

Dolores Miller (IBM/San Jose State), Laura Bartolo (Kent State), Ethan Allen (University of Washington), and Morgan Ware (University of Arkansas) share their experiences with informal science education assessment at the Fall 2007 Education Directors Meeting.

Eric Marshall, New York Hall of Science and NISE Net, shares his findings about partnerships between research centers and informal education venues with attendees of the Fall 2007 Education Directors Meeting.