Speakers
Description
This presentation will center on funding opportunities for research on programs that support STEM learning for older adults. We will provide a brief overview of the National Science Foundation and the importance of proposals focusing on science, technology, engineering or mathematics (STEM). We will then provide an overview of the Advancing Informal STEM Learning (AISL) program and the importance of proposals advancing the knowledge base about learning in informal STEM (i.e., research). Finally we will highlight a few of the AISL-funded projects that focuson STEM learning for older adults. During Q&A we will aim to weave in venues where other work has been done that could inform future work with older adults.
About the speakers:
Toni Dancstep is a Program Officer in the Division of Research on Learning in Formal and Informal Settings at the National Science Foundation. Toni is an informal STEM learning researcher who is excited about research that is co-designed and interpreted with practitioners and learners. She likes to learn about and contribute to research and development projects that question and expand systems, designs, and ways of knowing. At the NSF, Toni has worked with the Advancing Informal STEM Learning (AISL), EHR Core Research (ECR), Innovative Technology Experiences for Students and Teachers (ITEST), and Racial Equity in STEM Education programs.
Robert L. Russell, Ph.D. is a Program Officer in the Division of Research on Learning in Informal and Formal Settings. He has been a program officer at NSF for the past ten years, managing grant awards in the NSF’s Advancing Informal STEM Learning, as well other programs concerned with DRK-12 STEM, STEM careers, and other areas. During his prior career, he worked primarily on projects in informal settings targeting all ages, including exhibits, computer interactives, radio, TV, large format films, print media, community-based projects, and others. His roles included working as a consultant with 50+ organizations, director of two museums and other non-profits involved in STEM education.
