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Rachel,

I'm not sure you saw my earlier reply to your request as I did not hear 
back. If you'd like, contact me off list and perhaps I can help you out 
somehow - maybe visit your classes or something like that.

Joe Ruggiero
www.TheExhibitGuys.com

Tucson, AZ.

Rachel Morgan Theall wrote:

>ISEN-ASTC-L is a service of the Association of Science-Technology Centers
>Incorporated, a worldwide network of science museums and related institutions.
>*****************************************************************************
>
>Hello,
>My name is Rachel Morgan Theall.  I am working with high school students to
>build exhibits through an NSF Division of Chemistry funded grant called
>Discovery Corps Post Doctoral Fellowships.  This is the first year of my grant
>titled Science in the City.  I am working with three Tucson area high schools. 
>One is a small charter school that I meet with twice a week, once for 30 minutes
>and a second time for 3 1/2 hours.  The other two schools meet for one hour,
>once a week, as after school clubs at the schools. One of these schools is a
>science magnet school and the other is a high school with mostly Hispanic
>students.  The exhibits are to be based on some aspect or issue concerning
>science in the students' community and they are to be bilingual.
>
>I am finding the opportunity to work with these students to be a great deal of
>fun but, I am finding it difficult to get the students motivated to choose a
>topic for their exhibit. The exhibits created must be able to travel because
>the local science center, a partner in the project, will be closing for a time
>to plan for an expansion.  Also, the local center, Flandrau Science Center, has
>only focused on astronomy.  So the creation of these exhibits will be an
>expansion on their focus as they plan and build their new center.
>
>I'm sure that planning an exhibit with a group of adults is difficult enough,
>but I'm working with high school students who are not necessarily motivated by
>the same things as adults.  I have never built an exhibit so I am new to this
>process as well.  I thought I would ask for advice from anyone willing to give
>it on how to tackle the planning process in such a way as to motivate and
>excite the students.  So far, we have brainstormed possible exhibit topics but
>the students are still very centered on things they all ready know about, which
>tend to be very personal, rather than community oriented.  And, because the
>topics are so personal, getting the groups of students to agree on one will be
>a challenge.  The plan at most of the schools this week is to provide some
>experiences that the students can draw on - either by visiting a local business
>that designs and creates exhibits or by setting up a bunch of opportunities for
>students to interact with science things.
>
>This is a full year process for these students and I hope to be able to come to
>this community for advice and guidance as we work on our exhibits.  Thank you
>in advance for any input or comments you have.
>
>Rachel Morgan Theall, PhD
>University of Arizona, Department of Chemistry
>PI Science in the City
>[log in to unmask]
>520-626-0544
>
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