I really like the idea of this exhibit, from the interactive kiosks to the very visible inflatable ship for kids to walk in to. I'd like to hear more about the assessment and impact of this traveling display. In the video, you mention observations and surveys, but I'm curious to hear about how pop-up exhibits like this ("one-and-done events") make a difference in the long term. Does it really recruit students to Earth science degrees and change public understanding of ocean science? Thanks for any additional details you can provide.

I really appreciated the range of creative ways you came up with to make a potentially obscure topic accessible, engaging and understandable. And, it's great that you were able to design the exhibit to work with such a range of venues.

I would be interested in hearing more about how you assessed impacts of the exhibit, and whether there were any additional programs or materials you provided that could help visitors to the exhibit follow up to learn more, explore career opportunities, etc.

Thanks,
Billy

Thanks, Billy, for your interest in our project! We have an external evaluation team that has been conducting a wide range of evaluations across all the different aspects of the project, from the impact on the site teams in building new institutional relationships, to the Girl Scout volunteer/facilitators, to exhibit visitors. Although it is early on, we are quite encouraged by the results so far. I am going to ask one of our evaluators to put together a good summary of results that I can share here.

To answer your second question, yes, we have printed materials, a little "passport," and a website that support the exhibit and where visitors can go to learn more.  The website is available here: https://joidesresolution.org/insearchofearthssecrets/. It is broken down into the same topics that are explored in the exhibit elements.

We're excited to keep expanding our reach through new sites each year!

Thanks so much!

-sharon

Pop-up installations are great for their flexibility and transportability – especially to reach the kind of rural audiences you are targeting. I am curious about how you select sites for In Search of Earth’s Secrets. Can you describe the application process a bit? Are you looking for any specific kinds of communities for the next round of travel?

Thanks!

Margaret

Thank you for sharing your project with us!  The video mentioned that one of your project goals is to create a sustainable model for STEM learning in informal environments.  Can you speak a little more about the model, and the benefits/challenges associated with the approach you took?  Is this model particularly well-suited to sharing some types of STEM content and not others?  Thanks very much!

Hi Elysa, and thanks for your interest in our project!

The model involves using relatively small modular exhibits and partnering with local community groups - empowering them to use these resources however works best in their own community. The great thing about this model is the wide variety of settings and venues that site teams have utilized, and the great connections and outreach to local audiences that this has resulted in. The challenge is that, since there IS so much variety, it's a little hard to track and evaluate and compare, and give advice to the next site! We are working on these things. And I think this model would work for any kind of STEM content, actually!

Hi! Can you describe some of the venues and settings that your partners have selected for Earth’s Secrets? I am curious if this pop up has been combined with existing programs (e.g. local science festivals) or time-specific events (e.g. World Oceans Day).

Thanks!

Margaret

Hi Margaret - Yes! Many of our site teams have leveraged existing community events, like community science festivals, street fairs, STEM days, university outreach days. We have a team working on having the pop-up at a Penn State tailgate event, and at a mall this fall. We were part of the World Science Festival in NY last year, and have been part of Open House events for libraries, colleges, museums. Almost anywhere works, as long as there are enough volunteers to do set-up and break-down! 

An amazing and impactful project! 100,000 people?! That’s incredible! It’s enlightening to see the images of participants enjoying the different exhibits. And what an incredible video to showcase the goals and reach of this project. Looking forward to following this project as it tours the US!

As one of the external evaluators for this project, I wanted  to weigh in on some of the questions that have been asked here in this video showcase. Based on evaluation data from surveys and interviews, as well as observations from participating in the training and at a number of the venue events, I concur with the remarks about the overall excitement created by this exhibit and I would like to share a brief overview of some of the benefits expressed by partners and participants.

From our data and observations it is clear that overall the exhibit has attracted interest and participation at the venue events, built awareness of the existence of ocean drilling, and generated enthusiasm in STEM activities for people of all ages. It appeared to tweak interest in what is found in the cores and opened children’s eyes to what could be found in rocks in general.

To address the concern of longer term impact, I would agree that short term exposure to an exhibit as occurs with public events is not likely to result in a big change in an individual’s understanding of science nor career aspirations.  But this would be hard to know as it would require long term individual tracking beyond the scope of this project. However if the culture of the venue and learning environment is supportive, then possibilities are there for longer term learning for interested individuals.

Where we do see definitive positive outcomes is with two groups of project audiences: 1) the Girl Scout and youth volunteers and 2) project partners.

Girl Scouts and other targeted youth groups have been specifically trained to be docents and have received well-thought out curriculum and activities to learn about the JR and ocean drilling. This training has been shown to increase their interest in, and knowledge of science and careers, as well helping these young people learn the process of being a docent and how to guide people through the exhibit and answering questions posed by visitors.

A strong positive accomplishment of the project has been expressed by project partners at the venues. They reported increased community exposure and synergy related to this high quality and educationally strong exhibit. They stressed that the exhibit is an attractor bringing in new and increased number of visitors, educating them with new and engaging science content. Venue personnel highlighted the strong and increased collaboration that has occurred with local partners. They also were pleased with the enhancement of staff teamwork and learning that the project fostered.

These are a few key thoughts from the evaluation;  hope they help convey the wonderful energy and learning that has come about from this exhibit.

Thank you for sharing this project. I think modeling the experience of ocean exploration in a way that gives kids a vicarious experience of exploration is a powerful tool. In that it reminds me a bit of Bob Ballard's Jason Project, which provided live links fro his ship to schools. Was there anything about that program that you found particularly helpful in designing this one? 

Are there any publications related to this work yet?

I have gotten to see and do a lot of different things in my career, but working with the In Search of Earth's Secrets exhibit has to be THE coolest collaboration of all time and the most amazing STEM outreach project I have ever witnessed. It really is a remarkable way to bring the incredible science of the JOIDES Resolution (JR) to the public. I have been so blessed to be a part of it.