Catawba Science Center, Hickory, NC

Mark Sinclair, Director

Discovery Center Museum, Rockford, IL

Sarah Wolf, Director

Ann Arbor Hands-On Museum, Ann Arbor, MI

James Frenza, President

Montshire Museum of Science, Norwich, VT

David Goudy, Director

Sciencenter, Ithaca, NY

Charles Trautmann, Director

are similar in size, with annual operating budgets ranging from $700,000 to $1.3 million, and share a philosophy of interactive, hands-on science exhibitry. In October, 1996 the National Science Foundation awarded a $1.2 million grant to the Collaborative (Montshire Museum is the recipient institution on behalf of the Collaborative) to support the following TEAMS activities:

Develop five traveling exhibitions

Enhance visitor science learning and enjoyment in TEAMS institutions through the development of five highly interactive traveling science exhibitions.

Develop family science events

Enhance family science learning in TEAMS institutions through the development of exhibits, family science events and take home activities related to exhibition topics, all designed to encourage families to enjoy science activities together.

Develop staff expertise

Build our institutional expertise in exhibition design, family programming, and evaluation through the sharing of staff expertise and training in evaluation by an outside consultant.

Conduct research on family learning

Contribute to our knowledge of family learning in museums through holding a national symposium on family learning and through intensive formative and summative evaluation, sharing the results with the field.

During the first two years of the four year NSF funding each TEAMS member will develop a 1500 square foot exhibition, including 10-15 interactive units and supporting graphics. The exhibition topics are: Airplay (Montshire Museum of Science), Dirt (Catawba Science Center), Fun, 2, 3, 4: All About a Number of Things! (Sciencenter), Amusement Park Science (Discovery Center Museum), and Clothing: Science from Head to Toe (The Ann Arbor Hands-On Museum). Each member will also develop family science materials and teacher guides related to their exhibition topic. Beginning in 1999, the exhibits will be displayed at the host museums after which they will travel to all of the TEAMS sites. Following the TEAMS exhibition tour, the exhibits are expected to be available on a rental basis to other museums nationwide.

Inverness Research Associates of of Inverness, CA have been selected to provide evaluation support to the TEAMS staff for this project. Becky Carroll is the Inverness contact for this project.

In February, 1997, the TEAMS Collaborative sponsored a workshop on Family Learning in Museums at Cornell University and the Sciencenter in Ithaca, NY. Featured speakers included Dr. Urie Bronfenbrenner, Professor Emeritus, Human Development and Family Studies at Cornell University and co-founder of the Head Start program; Dr. Deborah Edward, Executive Director, Austin Children's Museum, Austin, TX; and Minda Borun, Director of Program Evaluation, Franklin Institute Science Museum, Philadelphia, PA.

For further information about the Collaborative, please contact any of the museum directors:

David Goudy, Montshire Museum of Science

Mark Sinclair, Catawba Science Center

Charles Trautmann, Sciencenter

Sarah Wolf, Discovery Center Museum

James Frenza, Ann Arbor Hands-On Museum

Website designed and maintained by Bob Raiselis, Montshire Museum of Science