A "citizen science" outreach program was aimed at high school students in Western Australia with a focus on agricultural sciences. The program had two main objectives: the collection of samples and the mapping of the distribution of the leaf disease powdery mildew of barley across the state; and support for the teaching and learning of…

Our society has a great need for Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) professionals and educational institutions are currently having difficulty keeping up with society's demand (Carnevale, 2011). Outreach efforts are a key strategy to encouraging young people to pursue STEM careers and evaluation methods need to be used to…

Given the emphasis on community engagement in higher education, academic departments need to become more involved in the community. This paper discusses a number of outreach activities undertaken by the chemistry department at Rhodes University, South Africa. The activities range from service learning to community engagement with teachers and…

This paper describes a model for computer programming outreach workshops aimed at second-level students (ages 15-16). Participants engage in a series of programming activities based on the Scratch visual programming language, and a very strong group-based pedagogy is followed. Participants are not required to have any prior programming experience.…

This paper explores both how male and female high school pupils (15-16 years old) perceive the engineering profession and their willingness to pursue a career in this area. A study was performed around a one-day outreach activity, Girls' Day, organized for the first time in Spain. During Girls' Day, students were exposed to specific activities…

This paper describes the design and implementation of a tool for experimenting with mobile robotics concepts, primarily for use by children and teenagers, or by the general public, without previous experience in robotics. This tool helps children learn about science in an approachable and interactive way, using scientific research principles in…

We describe an assessment of the collective impact of 35 grants that the Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) made to biomedical research institutions in 1999 to support precollege science education outreach programs. Data collected from funded institutions were compared with data from a control group of institutions that had advanced to the…

The study reports on university-based outreach activities to extend international studies, based on a mandate in Title VI of the Higher Education Act. A survey of Title VI centers in universities nationwide gathered information on the way the institutions organize, develop, implement, and evaluate their resources and their delivery to…

This monograph concerns a research project which employs survey and evaluation techniques to design a delivery system for library services for a low-income neighborhood. The research includes surveys of library users and of residents of the neighborhood, interviews with local organization representatives, and an evaluation of present library…

Twenty experienced librarians and two alternates from school, college, and public libraries serving the inner city met twice weekly during fall 1971 in an institute concerned with library leadership development for services to the inner city. One day a week was devoted to field trips and another to speakers, discussion, and other activities at the…

To ascertain whether libraries are providing materials, services, and programs to their Spanish-speaking communities, a 26-item questionnaire was mailed to 37 public library directors in Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico, and Utah. Thirty-one completed questionnaires were returned, yielding a response rate of 81%. The majority of libraries were found…

This packet supplements a workshop on summer reading programs given in December, 1998 in several Florida counties. Workshop objectives and ground rules for successful meetings and workshops are outlined at the beginning of the document. The Florida Library Youth Program is then discussed, including basic philosophy, outreach to children in…

This report summarizes the activities and findings of Horizon Research, Inc. (HRI) in its external evaluation of Rural Physics Teacher Resource Agents (PTRA) project. The report details HRI's work and findings since June 2002. The project is on schedule for going to scale with the rural centers model, establishing four centers in Year One and…

This report summarizes the activities and findings of Horizon Research, Inc. (HRI) in its external evaluation of the American Association of Physic Teachers (APPT's) Rural Physics Teacher Resource Agents (PTRA) project. The report details HRI's work and findings since June 2004. The report is divided into five main sections. The first provides an…

Montana State University conducted a voluntary, private well water test program (n=3400) to direct public attention to water quality education. Eighty-four percent of the respondents to an impact assessment questionnaire indicated that the program was moderately to very effective. Other results involved user awareness and understanding, and…