Portal to
the Public
Mission
Statement:
Portal to the Public develops a proven, scalable program
model for Informal Science Educators (ISE) to engage
scientists and public audiences in face-to-face
interactions that promote appreciation and understanding of
current scientific research and its application.
Portal to the Public is a collaborative project, engaging
the following institutions:
The Four Main
Components of Portal to the Public
Public Programs - These events
bring scientists and public audiences together in
face-to-face interactions and are facilitated by
scientists who have participated in professional
development.
Professional Development -
Develop, evaluate and disseminate modular professional
development elements that ISE staff can facilitate to
prepare scientist volunteers to work with public
audiences. Elements include workshop activities,
resources for one-on-one support and written documents.
Research - Research the
implementation and outcome of the professional
development and public programs across all three museum
sites. The overarching question is, "How can ISE
institutions successfully engage their visitors with
current science by featuring scientists in programming."
Support a Professional Learning
Community - Endeavor to support a professional
learning community of institutions and individuals
committed to improving the public understanding and
appreciation of current science research. Our first major
activity to support a professional learning community was
the Synthesis Meeting held in Jan. 2008. →
Learn more
For general inquiries please contact Lauren Russell, Portal
to the Public Project Manager at Pacific Science Center:
lauren_russell@pacsci.org or (206)443-2910.
This material is based upon work supported by
National Science Foundation under Grant
No. DRL-0639021. Any opinions, findings, and
conclusions or recommendations expressed in this
material are those of the authors and do not
necessarily reflect the views of the National Science
Foundation.
