In a world confronted with greenhouse gases, emergent diseases, energy shortages, natural disasters, habitat loss, species extinctions and a thousand other urgent issues, public understanding of science is more essential than ever. Now, an OSU study reveals a powerful vehicle for enhancing science literacy in local communities: science museums.
Science museums like the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry in Portland aren’t new. But the strength of their impact surprises even museum expert and advocate John Falk, Sea Grant professor of science education at Oregon State University and renowned proponent of “free-choice” (beyond school) learning.
“Overall, the results were staggering — much more positive than I could have imagined,” says Falk, who led the multi-year study of visitors to the California Science Center in Los Angeles.
Learn more
- Read the whole story from Terra magazine
- Learn more about Oregon Sea Grant's Free-Choice Learning programs
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