Project SEE — Based on Everyday Items
But Not an Everyday Occurrence!
During a Principal Investigators conference conducted by the National Science Foundation (NSF) at AAAS in late 2004, the SEE staff met other organizations doing informal science projects funded by NSF. During the course of the meeting, we realized the awesome responsibility and the confidence placed in Delta Sigma Theta in partnership with AAAS and the Delta Research & Educational Foundation. Delta is the only organization of its kind to be funded by NSF of the 68 informal science education programs. In addition Project SEE received the eighth largest monetary award ($1.7M) of the 68 organizations. These organizations include the University of Arizona, University of Massachusetts, Cornell University and the Minnesota Children’s Museum.
The work that Project SEE does is based upon everyday items. However, it is clear that SEE is not an everyday occurrence. As we have passed the three year milestone in this unusual journey, it is also clear that the Project needs your ideas, skills and commitment as SEE Leaders. But more importantly, the African American children and parents we are trying to reach across the country and internationally need our assurance of delivering on our promise to:
Help families become creators and informed users of science,
Change the family culture in which science is deemed important and worthy of participation,
Deliver inquiry-based informal science learning to families who are not well served.
In the remaining 18 months of Project SEE funding, let’s use our SEE Checklist to make this unusual occurrence in the field of informal science a phenomenal success by some phenomenal women!
Checklist:
Conduct SEE community events,
Conduct SEE training sessions at chapter, regional, state or cluster meetings,
Conduct Parent Educator training,
Attend Regional meetings to provide SEE updates and conduct training or workshops,
Maintain SEE training and community events statistics,
Input on-line Event Reflection Form for each event,
Identify and partner with community/parent groups (HSAs, PTAs, Community Training Centers, etc.), and
Establish a monthly SEE Alert newsletter for chapters.
http://www.deltasee.org/index.htm