Filmmaker's Collaborative, Principal Large-Format LTD, and SK Films, Inc. are requesting funds to produce a large format, 3-D film and multi-component educational materials and activities on the annual migration of monarch butterflies, their life cycle and the web of life at select sites where they land. Project goals are to 1) raise audience understanding of the nature of scientific investigation and the open-ended nature of the scientific process, 2) enhance and extend citizen science programs to new audiences, and 3) create better awareness of monarch biology, insect ecology and the importance of habitat.
INNOVATION/STRATEGIC IMPACT: The film will be simultaneously released in both a 3-D and 2-D 15/70 format. RMC Research Corp. will conduct evaluation of the project, including a study of the comparable strengths of the 2-D and 3-D versions of the film and to assess the effectiveness of 3-D to enhance the learning experience. RMC will also conduct a long-term evaluation of the project's citizen science programs.
COLLABORATION: This project promises a highly collaborative model of partnerships between the project team and The Smithsonian, Project Learning Tree, Monarchs in the Classroom, Monarch Watch, 4-H through the University of Kentucky Extension and the University of Florida WINGS programs, The Society for the Advancement of Chicanos and Native Americans (SACNAS), Online NewsHour, and Earth & Sky. RMC will conduct formative and summative evaluations to assess the success of project materials in communicating science and achieving the project's learning goals.
