This award will support a workshop organized by Felice Frankel from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology on "Expanding Visual Thinking and Communications in the Sciences." The workshop will be held at the Getty Museum in Los Angeles, California, June 23-25, 2005, and will bring together (1) scientists wishing to communicate complex concepts more effectively than can be done with words alone; (2) teachers of science at all levels trying to reach as many elements of an increasingly diverse population of students as possible; (3) researchers trying to find patterns of meaning in quantities of data, and; (4) professional communicators of science, looking for new ways to accomplish their mission. Dissemination of the workshop results will be accomplished with a series of smaller workshops held at different geographic locations around the country, development of a "Visual Thinking and Communications in the Sciences" website, and publication of a book based on the material covered during the workshop. The Office of Multidisciplinary Activities in the Mathematics and Physical Sciences Directorate funds this award.
