Intersection Workshop

Building Capacity and Collaboration at the Intersection of the Learning Sciences and Informal Science Education Call for Applications We are pleased to announce a community-building workshop for researchers in the Learning Sciences community who study informal learning and practitioners in STEM-related Informal Learning Environments (ILEs). The purpose of the Intersection workshop is to build the capacity for sustained collaboration across these two communities for the benefit of research and practice. Attendees will hear talks by leaders in both fields and work together in small groups on short white papers that address conceptual and methodological tools for members of both communities. A subset of white papers from the Intersection workshop will be expanded into a follow-up book. The Intersection workshop will cover two related themes: (1) Building models of learning in ILEs that directly respond to issues and opportunities raised by researchers and practitioners and (2) Connecting methods of research and methods of ILE practice to support iterative design and evaluation of STEM learning environments. The Intersection workshop will be held on August 6-7, 2009 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Workshop attendees will be selected by a committee composed of learning sciences and informal science education advisors in order to ensure broad participation from diverse areas such as science museums, media, community organizations, technology developers, public television, universities, non-profit agencies, and others. Most costs for selected attendees (including travel, lodging, and meals) will be covered. We encourage applications from both new and experienced professionals. Please direct any questions to Intersection conference co-organizers: Sandra Toro Martell <[email protected]>, Leslie Rupert Herrenkohl or Heather Toomey Zimmerman . To apply, email the following 3 documents as .pdf or .doc attachments to [email protected]: • A statement of no more than 500 words that describes (a) your work in the learning sciences and/or STEM-related ILEs and (b) why you are interested in attending the workshop • A copy of your resume or C.V. • One sample publication (i.e. newsletter submission or journal article) that speaks to your work as a learning scientist or informal science community member

All submissions must be received by midnight February 16, 2009. This project is supported by the National Science Foundation, awards: 0814031 and 0813874. Sponsors: Pennsylvania State University (PSU), University of Washington (UW), and University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee (UWM)