The overall goal of Interactions in Understanding the Universe (I2U2) is to support and strengthen the Education and Outreach activities of Grid-based scientific experiments that utilize federated resources at U.S. labs and universities. Over a multiyear period, a group of scientists, computer scientists and educators are committed to building a rich portfolio of coherent, online collaborative labs and a "virtual organization" to support participants and developers across projects.
I2U2 will develop and maintain a virtual portfolio of laboratories for a diverse range of audiences and will provide tools and support services to assist developers in creating these educational resources. These laboratories break new ground by using the Grid for education in the same way that science uses the Grid.
A pilot "e-Lab" is already in development through the QuarkNet/Grid Project's Cosmic Ray Collaboration. Under this grant, I2U2 will complete more substantive evaluation and enhancement of the pilot and will support the development of prototype labs and associated resources, for both formal and informal education, by multiple experiments. I2U2 is particularly focused on reaching communities underrepresented in science, and several of the partners are situated in areas with high minority populations.
The educational content of these labs will leverage the science of a broad range of NSF-funded research projects to create effective, exciting opportunities for K-12, undergraduate and informal education. The delivery vehicle for these labs, interactive "collaboratories," will provide resources for hands-on exploration of some of today's most relevant and exciting scientific topics. The focus will be on providing scientific data, analysis tools with which to explore the data, and the facilities to interact and collaborate. Participants will learn data analysis skills and how the massive computing resources afforded by Grid computing are a key in enabling the exploration of important scientific problems. Constrained neither by distance nor time, students, teachers and scientists will together explore approachable versions of the discovery environments employed in the broad spectrum of research projects at the frontiers of science.
The collaboratories will take two similar but distinct shapes. "e-Labs," delivered as Web-based portals accessible in the classroom and at home, will be implemented with the ever-expanding capabilities of Web-based media. "i-Labs," delivered as interactive interfaces typically located within science museums and similar public venues, will leverage the latest advances in display technology and human-computer interaction, and will bring the experiences and appreciation of scientific investigation and inquiry to the wide audience of informal education.
I2U2 is supported jointly by several NSF directorates and divisions: MPS/PHY, MPS/OMA, and EHR/ESIE.
