Martha Merson

Thousands of visitors to parks take part in ranger-led programs annually. During these programs rangers work to evoke and maintain interest in order to connect visitors with cultural and natural resources. Researchers have found interest is a powerful driver of learning, yet its role in the experience of adults who participate in ranger-led programming has not been well studied. Open-ended telephone interviews conducted months after a ranger-led hike to a prominent dune in Indiana Dunes National Park illustrate the extent to which visitors’ recollections show continuity with their reasons for attending the ranger-led hike and their uptake of resource messages. Like other ranger-led programming, this hike was designed to make intellectual and emotional connections, to fuel long-held interests, and activate new stewards. The program was the result of collaboration among rangers and local scientists. Responses to a pre-hike survey were matched with post-hike recollections transcribed following an open-ended phone interview. The vast majority of posthike interviews revealed a match between hike participants’ initial interests and recollected details of the experience as well as new areas of piqued interest. In post-hike reflections, visitors mentioned factors that influenced the dune’s formation, and the majority mentioned the problems caused by trampling. Participants recruited for this study grasped and recollected resource messages connected to their interests. They spoke of the need to protect a popular and puzzling geological formation.

Statistics for Action project partners developed resources to bridge the divide between environmental professionals and residents affected by environmental contamination. Miscommunication is frustrating and frequent. Four principles that guided one STEM educator are illustrated with examples from work with residents of Hattiesburg, Mississippi. These principles may be useful to others intending to increase understanding among community group members and environmental regulators or professionals. The principles are especially relevant when tensions due to racial differences, priorities for next steps, or power imbalances due to funding streams threaten to derail communication.

When looking around outside, many people see reasons to worry about the environment. Often what they notice are the effects of pollution and climate change, which can be harmful to people, wildlife, and the ecosystems where they live. Understanding the condition of all living and non-living things in an ecosystem is important for maintaining a healthy environment. But collecting information on every element in an ecosystem takes time and effort and is not always possible. Luckily, the United States National Park Service scientists know that collecting data on the condition of one species, called an indicator species, can reveal a lot about the well-being of other species in an ecosystem. Based on what they learn from observing and studying indicator species, park managers can make decisions about restoring plants, using chemicals, and posting signs about fishing rules. In Indiana Dunes National Park (Indiana, United States), researchers rely on frogs as indicator species.

At Carlsbad Caverns National Park, park rangers blended traditional personal interpretation with technology to showcase park-based research and to advance science literacy among visitors. Interpreters and Scientists Working on Our Parks (iSWOOP) provided interpreters with professional development and a selection of visualizations from scientists’ research on Brazilian free-tailed bats and their habitat at Carlsbad Caverns. After using tablets containing these visualizations for informal interpretive interactions, the interpreters responded to an open-ended survey. The authors examined interpreters’ responses, finding that interpreters regarded tablets as helpful in accomplishing several interpretive goals, especially in particular locations. Interpreters were strategic in initiating and sustaining interactions. Visitors’ reactions were positive; nevertheless, there were challenges indicating that this new form of interpretation is worthy of further research.

In the 21st century, national park interpreters reveal the significance of natural resources while facilitating dialog and audience-centered experiences. Interpreters adopting such approaches encounter visitors’ eager responses to silence to requests for a less interactive form of engagement. At several parks interpreters were simultaneously asked to showcase park-based science using visualizations to invite discussion. Survey and interview data from interpreters participating in the educational initiative Interpreters and Scientists Working on Our Parks (iSWOOP), revealed that interpreters found ways to surmount the challenges they encountered. Accountability theory provides a lens for understanding how interpreters chose to respond when visitors’ expectations conflicted with their assignments. Supervisors’ actions made a difference particularly when they granted a green light for experimentation; allowed the interpreter latitude to shift location and topic; and dedicated time for ...

This paper will describe three current, federally funded, and integrally connected projects investigating the teaching of adult basic education mathematics in Massachusetts. Practitioner participation in the research is discussed herewith attention to the pragmatic, professional, and political both in terms of the treatment of practitioners and topics and outcomes of research

With the acceleration and increasing complexity of macro-scale problems such as climate change, the need for scientists to ensure that their work is understood has become urgent. As citizens and recipients of public funds for research, scientists have an obligation to communicate their findings in ways many people can understand. However, developing translations that are broadly accessible without being "dumbed down" can be challenging. Fortunately, tenets of visual literacy, combined with narrative methods, can help to convey scientific knowledge with fidelity, while sustaining viewers' interest. Here we outline strategies for such translating, with an emphasis on visual approaches. Among the examples is an innovative, National Science Foundation-funded professional development initiative in which National Park rangers use scientists' imagery to create compelling explanations for the visiting public. Thoughtful visualizations based on interpretive images, motion pictures, 3D animations and augmented, immersive experiences complement the impact of the natural resource and enhance the role of the park ranger. The visualizations become scaffolds for participatory exchanges in which the ranger transcends the traditional roles of information-holder and presenter, to facilitate provocative conversations that provide members of the public with enjoyable experiences and well-founded bases for reflection and ultimately understanding. The process of generating the supporting visualizations benefits from partnerships with design professionals, who develop opportunities for engaging the public by translating important scientific findings and messages in compelling and memorable ways.

Human-induced global change has triggered the sixth major extinction event on earth with profound consequences for humans and other species. A scientifically literate public is necessary to find and implement approaches to prevent or slow species loss. Creating science-inspired art can increase public understanding of the current anthropogenic biodiversity crisis and help people connect emotionally to difficult concepts. In spite of the pressure to avoid advocacy and emotion, there is a rich history of scientists who make art, as well as art-science collaborations resulting in provocative work that engages public interest; however, such interdisciplinary partnerships can often be challenging to initiate and navigate. Here we explore the goals, impacts, cascading impacts and lessons learned from art-science collaborations, as well as ideas for collaborative projects. Using three case studies based on Harrower's scientific research into species interactions, we illustrate the impo...

Located 50 miles from Chicago, at Indiana Dunes National Park, thousands interact with rangers annually, many taking part in ranger-led hikes. The study focused on visitor recollections of a ranger-led hike that provided opportunities to learn about landscape change, recent events, and associated scientific findings. Interpreters are encouraged to co-construct audience-centered experiences, making space in interactions for visitors’ knowledge, interests, and previous experience. Researchers observed six ranger-led hikes incorporating audience-centered design elements and recruited a convenience sample of twenty-one visitors for participation in a pre-hike survey to gather responses about interest and knowledge before the hike and their willingness to participate in a follow up post-hike phone interview. After ranger-led hikes, researchers conducted fifteen interviews using a phenomenological approach to glean visitors’ recollections of the experience. Our findings confirm that visit...

At Carlsbad Caverns National Park, park rangers blended traditional personal interpretation with technology to showcase park-based research and to advance science literacy among visitors. Interpreters and Scientists Working on Our Parks (iSWOOP) provided interpreters with professional development and a selection of visualizations from scientists' research on Brazilian free-tailed bats and their habitat at Carlsbad Caverns. After using tablets containing these visualizations for informal interpretive interactions, the interpreters responded to an open-ended survey. The authors examined interpreters' responses, finding that interpreters regarded tablets as helpful in accomplishing several interpretive goals, especially in particular locations. Interpreters were strategic in initiating and sustaining interactions. Visitors' reactions were positive; nevertheless, there were challenges indicating that this new form of interpretation is worthy of further research.