NISE Network Blog

Thanks for Participating in National Chemistry Week 2018!

January 3, 2019

David C. Horwitz, American Chemical Society

The American Chemical Society (ACS) hosted its 31st annual celebration of chemistry during National Chemistry Week (NCW) from October 21-27, 2018, whose mission of the NCW campaign is to motivate ACS members and other science enthusiasts to teach the public about the value of chemistry in everyday life. This year, more than 90% (169/185) of ACS local sections hosted activities for NCW, which is ACS’s highest level of engagement in the campaign in ten years.

Building with Biology lives on with NISE Network partners

January 2, 2019

Kayla Berry and Katie Todd, Museum of Science

Four years ago the NISE Network received a grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF) to tackle conversations in museums between public audiences and scientists about the emerging field of synthetic biology. The timing was right for our Network partners...

Partner Highlight: Integrating the NISE Net’s “Let’s Do Chemistry" Kit into a National Chemistry Week Outreach Program Targeted at Middle School Students

December 4, 2018

Dr. Roxi Smith, Skagit Valley College, Mount Vernon, WA

When you ask college students to spend a day volunteering in a middle school classroom, they typically cringe. Who can blame them? After all, very few of us look back on our middle school years with fond memories. Yet every...

Revised Mirror Molecules graphics (new carvone molecules) for the Chemistry Makes Scents activity in the Explore Science: Let's Do Chemistry kit

December 3, 2018

Ali Jackson, Sciencenter

One of our partners alerted us to an error in how we portray the carvone molecules on the Mirror Molecules graphic shared with the Explore Science: Let's Do Chemistry - Chemistry Makes Scents activity. We have revised that graphic in English and Spanish and posted them to nisenet.org. Please discard the old printed Mirror Molecules materials and use these in their place. Download new graphics: http://nisenet.org/catalog/chemistry-makes-scents

NISE Network Talks Networks at International Tinkering Education Conference (ITEC) 2018 in Beijing, China

December 3, 2018

Frank Kusiak, Lawrence Hall of Science

In late October, the NISE Network was invited to speak at the International Tinkering Education Conference (ITEC) in Beijing, China where about 200+ informal and formal science educators from across China and about a dozen international guests shared ideas, strategies, and experiences about delivering making/tinkering projects to their visitors and communities.

A group of learners creating a scribblebot using a pool noodle, small electric motor and thin markers

Partner Highlight: Frankenstein200 October Events - Ideas from NISE Network Partners Across the Country

November 26, 2018

Peter Nagy and Rae Ostman, Arizona State University

The year 2018 is the 200th anniversary of the publication of Mary Shelley’s novel Frankenstein. All year long, NISE Net partners have been celebrating Frankenstein’s “birthday” by using activities from the activity kit. In October, many Network partners used Frankenstein200 activities for spooky seasonal programs. Researchers from Arizona State University took this opportunity to visit several sites to study how museum guests think about science and responsibility and to learn more about how NISE Net partners are using the activities in the kit.

Exploring Visitor Data from an Ongoing Multi-Institutional Visitor Study

November 5, 2018

Alex Lussenhop, Museum of Science

How much do museums really know about their visitors? At the Collaboration for Ongoing Visitor Experience Studies (COVES), we’re obsessed with this question. Driven by the need for quality comparable visitor experience data, our collaboration of 23 science-focused museums and...

Quiet on the set! And action! A new set of training videos has wrapped for the 2019 Explore Science: Earth and Space Toolkit

November 2, 2018

Brad Herring, Museum of Life and Science

NISE Network project staff from the Museum of Life and Science just completed filming a new set of activity and content training videos to accompany the hands-on activities in the 2019 Explore Science: Earth and Space toolkit! Read on for a behind-the-scenes look.

Sun, Earth, Universe Exhibition Fabrication Underway and Shipping Soon!

November 1, 2018

Kayla Berry, Museum of Science

Now in final stages of fabrication, the NISE Network's Sun, Earth, Universe exhibition is in the process of getting its final touches before getting shipped out to partners all across the U.S. Get a sneak peak at the exhibition before it arrives!

Partner Highlight: Arkansas State University Museum Presented Scary STEM!

November 1, 2018

Jill Kary, Arkansas State University

In this 200th year of Mary Shelley’s famous novel, Frankenstein, Arkansas State University (ASU) Museum celebrated by presenting a Scary STEM event complete with Frankenstein-themed activities on October 23, 2018. Joined by his Monster and author Mary Shelley, Dr. Victor Frankenstein stepped from the pages of Frankenstein into a makeshift laboratory at ASU Museum.