Monique Renee Scott - US grants

[unreadable] DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The American Museum of Natural History requests SEPA support for a five-year development and implementation project entitled "Human Health and 'Human Bulletins': Scientists and Teens Explore Health Sciences in the Museum and World At Large." The program has three complementary components: (1) the development of 7 new productions for the Museum's digital media/documentary exhibition program, Human Bulletins http://sciencebulletins.amnh.org) featuring the newest health-related research; (2) a mini-course, entitled Hot Topics in Health Research NOW, an intensive after school program covering genetics, epidemiology, human health and human evolution, including a section on ethics in research; and (3) A "drop-in" Human Bulletins Science Club, where students meet monthly to watch a Human Bulletin visual news program, engage in informal discussions with significant researchers in the fields of evolutionary science and human health. The main goals of this project are: (1) to inform young people about emerging health-related research by using the Human Bulletins as core content for programming and points of engagement; (2) to promote a life-long interest in science among participants by teaching them how health-related science research could potentially affect them or their families; (3) to empower teens to critically assess the science presented to them in the Museum and in the world at large by teaching them to break down the "information bytes" of the Human Bulletins and to analyze how stories are presented visually and how to find answers to questions raised by the Bulletins; (4) for the young people in the program to see themselves as participants in the Museum by developing "mentor" relationships with Museum staff. This will allow students to see AMNH as an enduring institution to be used as a resource throughout their education and careers; and (5) to give students the means to envision themselves with future careers in science, research and in museums (thus fostering a new generation of culturally-diverse, culturally enriched scientific leaders) by introducing them to scientists in an informal setting where there are no consequences for making mistakes or asking questions. The students will be given "behind the scenes" looks at new career options through the scientists featured in the Bulletins and the NIH funded researchers on the Advisory Board presenting at the informal sessions. Ultimately, the project aims to give students to critically process the information they receive about public health, see the relevance of human health science to their lives and pursue careers in health science. All of these skills are measurable through formative and summative evaluation. [unreadable] [unreadable] This project will teach young people to understand information about public health that is presented to them through visual and popular media as well as through formal scientific texts. It will also teach them to think about how human health sciences impact their lives and how the decisions they make impact larger human health. Finally, the program will also encourage students to pursue careers and further information about public health. [unreadable] [unreadable] [unreadable]

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The American Museum of Natural History (AMNH) requests SEPA support for the five-year project, Human Health, Biodiversity, and Microbial Ecology: Strategies to Educate. The project's overarching goal is to promote public awareness and deepen understanding of the critical impact of biodiversity on human health, with specific attention to the human microbiome and how the diversity of nature's innovations - chemical, anatomical, and physiological - are of critical value to biomedical research. The three specific aims to achieve this goal are: (1) spotlight emerging research at the intersection of biodiversity and human health by providing the general public, students, and teachers with engaging opportunities to interact with experts in the field, learn about this critical topic in AMNH's hall, and deepen their understanding through resources that extend beyond AMNH's walls; (2) provide information to the public and science cultural institutions that will lead to a better understanding of audiences' specific interests, levels of understanding, and gaps in knowledge concerning the connections between biodiversity and human health; and (3) contribute critical insights about the design of learning experiences and resources effective in engaging and educating diverse audiences about the relevance of biodiversity to human well-being, and giving them the tools to increase their understanding of this topic. Specific project components include: a SEPA exhibition element in AMNH's upcoming exhibit on poison; a smartphone application tour of AMNH permanent exhibition halls through the lens of biodiversity and human health; a series of Conversations with Experts for adults, students, and teachers, based on the Science Cafe format; Museum visitor polling that will contribute to a gap analysis of public knowledge of the topic of biodiversity and human health; and online resources and dissemination. External evaluation will help assess the value of all components in increasing public understanding of biodiversity and human health topics, as well as provide information to be shared with other informal science institutions. As a leading scientific research and education institution, AMNH is well prepared to use its own expertise in educational programming and exhibitions, as well as its research capacity in comparative and molecular biology, phylogenetics, and biodiversity science, to work with participating NIH scientists to translate and disseminate the work of NIH and other researchers to broad online and on-site audiences.