Edited by S. Rosenfeld & J. Diamond (Eds.), Amplifying Informal Science Learning. Routledge.

This collection explores the broad landscape of current and future out-of-school science learning environments. Written by leading experts and innovators in informal science learning, these thoughtful and critical essays examine the changing nature of informal institutions such as science museums, zoos, nature centers, planetariums, aquaria, and botanical gardens and their impact on science education. The book examines the learning opportunities and challenges created by community-based experiences including citizen science, makerspaces, science media, escape rooms, hobby groups, and gaming.

Sometimes a Museum Needs to Get Outdoors More

March, 2013

“With so many outdoor installations using the natural environment — like Bay Windows, five large glass discs showing a collection of sediment from the bay; or Remote Rains, an area that will shower a “rainstorm” on visitors, with the size of the water drops determined by data gathered by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration — the new Exploratorium will be uniquely tied to its surroundings. “It’s like the city is the museum.”

Adithya Sambamurthy

Creating Middle Ground: Transforming Outdoor Informal Learning Landscapes

Joshua P. GUTWILL , Hsin-Yi CHIEN, Shawn LANI, Heike WINTERHELD, Lena MILLER, and Cecilia GARIBAY

Creating Middle Ground: Transforming Outdoor Informal Learning Landscapes

In this article, we offer a model for shifting museums away from elitism and exclusion towards inclusion and community engagement. Rather than require all learners to come to the museum, we propose installing science exhibitions and pop-ups in urban neighborhoods. The Transforming Informal Learning Landscapes (TILL) model integrates three key components—contextually-relevant science, learning-centered placemaking, and content-humanizing facilitation—to change outdoor public spaces from hallways to living rooms, places people would want to spend time, socialize and learn science. We briefly present the model and then describe our partnership that used TILL to produce and facilitate Middle Ground, a free exhibition on the social science of biases, stereotyping and prosocial behavior in a diverse outdoor urban setting. The article presents evidence of the success of Middle Ground in support of the effectiveness of the TILL model. A companion research article describes a quasi-experimental study of the effect of facilitation on visitor learning at Middle Ground.

Shawn Lani, Curator and Eileen Campbell 2021

Public Spaces, Potential Places

Three case studies from the Studio for Public Spaces exploring the expanded reach and impacts of informal learning in public spaces. Authors explore partnership models, site specific content, and the value of connecting more directly with communities that often surround but do not attend science museums.

Josh Gutwill and Heike Winterheld

Invitation to Introspection

Invitation to Introspection reflects on the impact and trajectory of bringing socials science to the public realm.

A brief feature story highlighting the first Living Innovation Zone on Market Street. Created as a streamlined path for getting art projects up in public spaces, the city’s LIZ initiative was born out of a question: How can the city encourage artists to design public projects without having to navigate through reams of red tape?